Shift in Monsoon Moisture Track on the Horizon

The Southwest is going to see an increase in monsoon storms in the coming days. While some parts of the region have been under the gun for frequent bouts of these classic summer thunderstorms, other areas have been dealing with a lack of moisture thus far this season. Here is the latest on when you can expect the monsoon moisture to kick up again.

Monsoon Moisture Has Been Hit and Miss for the Southwest This Year

It has been a tale of two seasons this summer as it relates to the monsoon weather makers. While New Mexico, southern Colorado, portions of Utah, and eastern Arizona have all seen plenty of precipitation, it has been a different situation for western Arizona, California, and Nevada.

The hardest hit areas have picked up substantial rain. For instance, the mountain resort town of Durango, Colorado recorded 4.08 inches of rain in the period between June 1 and July 24, equating to 3.32 times the average for this time of year. Similarly, Albuquerque, New Mexico has seen 3.21 inches of rain during that same time period, an amount that comes in at 1.79 times the historical norm.

The monsoon season is rooted in the annual change of the wind direction from the west to the southeast. This flip in direction works to bring up moisture from the tropics and send humidity levels on the uptick, paving the way for thunderstorm development across much of the western U.S.

This phase typically develops in Mexico in June before moving into the Desert Southwest in July. The monsoon soon generally comes to an end some time in September when the wind patterns revert to the usual westerly patterns.

The moisture that falls during the monsoon season is critically important for this region. For example, the northwestern corner of Mexico receives about three-quarters of its annual precipitation during this time period. In the U.S., both New Mexico and Arizona see over half of their annual moisture between the months of July and September.