This year’s monsoon in Tucson was split in two: An early, wet start and a dry, especially hot end.
Tucson recorded 5.39 inches of rain in the first half of this year’s monsoon (June 15 to Aug. 8), and just 0.41 inches in the second half (Aug. 9 to to Sept. 30), the National Weather Service here posted on X.
The official monsoon season here spans June 15 to Sept. 30.
In-all, 5.80 inches of rain fell this monsoon, 0.11 inches above normal. It’s the 61st driest such period in Tucson’s weather history, dating back to 1895, the National Weather Service in Tucson says.
And it was hot too.
Tuesday afternoon marked the 100th day to reach triple-digit highs this year, said Glenn Lader, a weather service meteorologist. That’s the second-most days to reach at least 100 degrees in a given year, behind 2020, Lader said.
The hottest recorded October high temperature in Tucson — 103 degrees — was was broken on Tuesday as the Tucson International Airport reached 105 degrees “so far,” the national weather service here said in a post on X shortly before 1:30 p.m.
Tucson Fire Department personnel help a passenger out of a flooded vehicle on Country Club Road at Presidio Road.
Stormy start to 2024 monsoon
Powerful storms prompted a wetter-than-usual start to monsoon.
On June 21, a big storm dropped 0.35 inches of rainfall at the airport, a weather service meteorologist told the Star in August.
That sparked a busy few days of isolated monsoon storms. The storms produced heavy rain, flooding and resulted in the death of a woman whose body was found in the Rillito River near Fort Lowell and Swan roads. Another major storm on July 2 resulted in a tornado on Tucson’s southeast side, but damage was limited.
On July 14, there were two tornado warnings issued when a complex of storms struck the region. Storm damage stretched across the area, including toppled trees, power lines and the roof being ripped off an auto parts store. The complex brought numerous microbursts across the city, with the strongest recorded wind gust reaching 76 mph in the Tucson Mountains.
The side of the building at AutoZone Auto Parts, 935 W. Prince Road, blew over during a monsoon storm. A large complex of storms with high winds and many microbursts left extremely widespread damage in Tucson. Photo taken July 15, 2024.
From the beginning of June through Aug. 15, the Tucson Fire Department responded to 33 calls for swift-water rescues and 49 stranded vehicle calls, the department says. The total figure of 82 combined calls is the most since 2021 when there were 47 water rescues and 40 calls for stranded vehicles, though that included the entire month of August.
Rainy days go away
The 1.2 inches of rain that fell here in August was 0.78 inches less than the normal. But that figure is a little misleading, because according to the national weather service here, 0.91 inches of rain “occurred on (Aug. 8) at the airport in a span of 30 minutes,” the weather service posted on X.
The Tucson International Airport is where Tucson’s official weather records are measured. The last time there was measurable rain there: Sept. 17, when .01 inches fell.
And it only rained 0.12 inches at the airport for all of September, 1.2 inches below normal.
Heat a factor all season
Wet or dry, heat was a factor for all of Tucson’s monsoon.
It was the fourth hottest June, second hottest July and sixth hottest August on record. That made summer 2024 tie 2020 as the hottest Tucson summer on record, the weather service says.
Dating back to 1895, the average amount of 100-plus-degree days in the months of June through September specifically is 63 days. Tucson recorded its 93rd triple-digit high on Monday, the final day of monsoon.
Through Monday, 44 days topped the 105-degree mark, the third-most in Tucson’s weather history behind 1994’s 53 days and 2020’s 57 days. There are normally 25 such days in the months of June through September.
Hot days likely to continue
Tucson’s winter is expected to be warmer and drier than usual.
The first half of October will likely bring above-normal temperatures and below-normal rain, says Lader, the weather service meteorologist.
For the second half of October, the Climate Prediction Center is placing equal chances on above-, below- or near-normal precipitation.
The region is trending towards a La Niña weather pattern, which tend to be drier. But Lader notes it’s actually trending toward a weak La Niña, and the correlations between it and precipitation “are a little less prevalent” when making longterm rain predictions.
More immediately, high temperatures dropping below 100 degrees will not likely be a regular thing until later in October, Lader said.
“But we’re kind of in this for the time being, this very persistent, hot pattern where we’re seeing the latest hottest temperatures on record,” he said.
Drivers make their way east on St. Mary’s Road as a monsoon storm with heavy rain and hail rolls over the west side of Tucson, Ariz. on August 21, 2024.
Several bolts strike the southern reaches of the Rincon Mountains as traffic from I-10 speeds below one of a series of monsoon cells that peppered the area with lightning, wind and rain around Tucson, Ariz., August 16, 2024.
Lightning from a small cell strikes just west of Rita Road as a series of monsoon storms skirted Tucson, Ariz., August 16, 2024.
The Rincon Mountains absorb several lightning strikes from a monsoon storm cell that slowly rolled to the east of Vail, Ariz., August 16, 2024.
The Santa Cruz river flows with water underneath the Congress Street bridge after a monsoon storm rolled over Tucson on August 8, 2024.
A driver makes their way through deep water near Tyndall Ave and 22nd Street after a monsoon storm rolled over Tucson, Ariz. on August 8, 2024.
A collection of power lines in the road after a monsoon hit the West side of Tucson on Thursday afternoon, West Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, Ariz., Aug. 8, 2024.
A woman uses an umbrella to keep rain showers away during a late afternoon walk, West Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, Ariz., Aug. 8, 2024.
The sun sets behind the Tucson Mountains and a few ragged monsoon clouds, Tucson, Ariz., July 26, 2024.
A driver sits in a flooded out vehicle in the middle of Country Club Road just south of Ft. Lowell Road in the midst of a monsoon storm,Tucson, Ariz., July 25, 2024. Several vehicles stalled out in the waist high runoff on Country Club at Presidio Road in the midst of a monsoon rain. Emergency personnel were scrambling for a couple of hours to calls throughout the city.
A Tucson Fire Department member reacts to another vehicle venturing into the heavily flooded intersection of Country Club Road and Presidio Road already filled with stalled and flooded vehicles in the midst of a monsoon storm,Tucson, Ariz., July 25, 2024.
A car drifts to a halt as it floods out trying to cross the water rushing over Ft. Lowell Road at Christmas Avenue in the midst of a monsoon storm,Tucson, Ariz., July 25, 2024.
A pair of pedestrians slog their way through the floodwaters rushing down Christmas Avenue across Ft. Lowell Road in the midst of a monsoon storm,Tucson, Ariz., July 25, 2024.
Clouds from a late afternoon monsoon storm swirl over One South Church and downtown Tucson, Ariz., July 20, 2024. The storm brought gusty winds, some dust, a little rain and sporadic lightning.
A bolt of cloud lightning stretches over the skies above Tucson, Ariz., during one of the first widespread monsoon storms of the season, July 18, 2024.The cell brought rain, dust and wind over a large part of the valley.
A bolt of lightning strikes around downtown Tucson as winds pick up to 12 mph, West Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, Ariz., July 18, 2024.
Lightning strikes around the southeastern reaches of the Rincon Mountains as a monsoon storm runs up the San Pedro River valley east of Tucson, Ariz., July 17, 2024.
A bicyclist heads west on the Maclovio Barraza Parkway bridge over 6th Avenue into a monsoon sunset, Tucson, Ariz., July 17, 2024. The storms have taken a break on the past few days, but chances of rain returning increase heading into the weekend.
Lightning strikes around the Tucson Mountains as winds pick up to 12 mph, West Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, Ariz., July 18, 2024.
A skateboarder makes his way west on Maclovio Barraza Parkway past the Sunlink Operations & Maintenance building during a monsoon sunset over Tucson, Ariz., July 17, 2024.
A crew from Northwest Landscaping clean up debris from several trees that fell down on the University of Arizona campus Monday morning July 15, 2024. A monsoon storm brought strong winds and many microbursts in Tucson early Sunday evening leaving widespread damage.
A worker from BrightView Landscape Services stands by a downed tree that fell over two cars parked along North Sixth Avenue at East Fifth Street after a monsoon storm brought strong winds and many microbursts in Tucson on July 14.
A worker from BrightView Landscape Services tosses a branch onto a pile of tree debris along North Sixth Avenue at East Fifth Street after a monsoon storm brought strong winds and many microbursts in Tucson early Sunday evening. Photo taken Monday morning July 15, 2024.
A saguaro lays on the ground at North Oracle Road and Ventura Street in Tucson, Ariz. after a monsoon storm brought high winds and many microbursts early Sunday evening. Photo taken July 15, 2024.
The overhead cover at the Circle K along Congress Street and the I-10 Frontage Road is blown down Monday morning July 15, 2024 after a large complex of storms with high winds and many microbursts left extremely widespread damage in Tucson early Sunday evening.
A biker fords the flooded intersection of Glenn Street and Tucson Boulevard as a monsoon storm drops a lot of rain in a little time over mid-town Tucson, Ariz., July 11, 2024. Rain, wind and lighting accompanied several bands of storms that rolled over the area just before sunset.
The monsoon clouds break up to the west just before the sun sets on a storm sweeping through, Tucson, Ariz., July 11, 2024.
A Tucson, Ariz., Police Department cruiser sends up rooster tails of run-off water as it heads down Tucson Avenue under lights and siren during a monsoon storm July 11, 2024.
Tucson Electric Power crews work along West Ina and North Shannon Road to clear all monsoon damage on July 6, 2024. The intersection of West Ina and North Shannon Road was expected to be closed through the weekend as Tucson Electric Power repaired at least 14 downed power poles, the utility said.
People get photos of the sunset over Windy Point Vista along Catalina Highway following a day-long rain in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Ariz., June 22, 2024.
A couple walk down Sabino Canyon Park on a rainy day in Summerhaven, Ariz., June 22, 2024.
As the sun sets on a triple digit day, a runner makes his way along the south bank paths on the Rillito River Park near Columbus Boulevard, June 13, 2024, Tucson, Ariz.
A hiker and her dog walk through Saguaro National Park East near the Broadway Trailhead under a very early monsoon sky, Tucson, Ariz., June 20, 2024.
