A woman wades into storm runoff in the Rillito River west of Swan Road on August 17, 2021. Last year's monsoon was Tucson's third-wettest on record.

 Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star

This year’s monsoon is expected to bring above-normal precipitation to southeast Arizona, according to the latest outlook from the Climate Prediction Center.

Though the center does not make predictions about how many inches are expected, the outlook says the region is leaning above normal for precipitation from June through September.

2021 ranked as Tucson’s third wettest monsoon with 12.79 inches of rain, following a dismal 2020 with just 1.62 inches of rain. An average monsoon, which runs June 15-Sept. 30 in Tucson, brings 5.69 inches of rain.

With drought conditions unlikely to improve in the Southwest until the late summer monsoon rainfall begins, there continues to be an elevated risk of wildfires this spring, especially when high winds are presents, the center’s outlook said.

As far as heat, goes, seasonal temps during the monsoon will likely be above normal in southeast Arizona, the outlook said. The average high during for that time frame is 99.

In the meantime, the forecast for Tucson over the next few days is a bit of a rollercoaster with a high of 84 degrees on Saturday, before dipping down to a breezy 72 degrees on Sunday with a chance of light showers that night into Monday, when the high is expected to be just 66 degrees. Sunny warming temps are expected again by Tuesday with a high of 72.

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