A downpour Sunday has brought Tucson a little closer to a record-setting monsoon.
“I mean, it could,” break the all-time record, National Weather Service Tucson meteorologist Chris Rasmussen said Monday.
“It really depends. We're looking at kind of the downturn in thunderstorm activity over the next week, but that's not to say that the season is completely done.”
The end of Tucson's monsoon season is Sept. 30.
Officially, the Old Pueblo saw .33 inches of rain fall at Tucson International Airport, putting the season total at 12.41 inches.
#Tucson is flooding. Time to put on my water shoes and prance. @TucsonStar @AlertingTucson (photo on Pima and Belvedere) pic.twitter.com/QduuI8CqgB
— Aaron Cammack (@cammack_aaron) September 6, 2021
That's good enough for third all-time so far.
The only two more productive monsoon seasons here: 1964, when 13.84 inches fell; and 1955, when 13.08 inches of rain was recorded, according the the Weather Service.
The forecast for the rest of the monsoon calls for a slightly wetter than average month, according to the National Weather Service Climate Predication Center.
In order for more rain to come, the region will need more moisture. Rasmussen that’s a possibility, especially for storms coming up from the the south or east.
“Once we do that, we still have the heating and the other ingredients in play as far as producing thunderstorm activity,” Rasmussen said. “It's just a matter of whether or not something like that happens.”
Tucson is looking pretty green! Check out the views from Sabino Canyon following this summer's above-average rainfall.
Make sure to check the weather before heading to Sabino Canyon as some trails and areas may be closed due to flooding.
