by John Simpson
The broken record of warmer and drier than normal weather we experienced since March continued in May. Some statistics from the Tucson National Weather Service include the 11th warmest May on record, the fourth warmest Spring on record (March-May), and the driest Spring since records began in the late 1880’s.
No measurable rain occurred at the Tucson airport during the March-May period and I only recorded 0.02” at my location in Vail. Lastly, 2018 to date is the warmest Tucson has ever seen (January-May). At the time of this writing in early June, the temperatures have been above normal and some moisture is trying to work its way into the region. Points East of Vail have already seen some thunderstorms. So, when will the monsoon arrive and be in full swing? This is the question many ask as the welcome rains of summer bring relief from the typically dry Spring and early Summer weather and provide great lightning shows.
The forecasting tools so far are leaning towards average to above average rainfall and warmer than average temperatures. Rainfall amounts are always highly variable during the monsoon so while some parts of southern Arizona may have it “good,” other parts may be drier. My next article will include the June weather summary and how the monsoon has been so far.
Photos by Krista Simpson
