The gathering monsoons of old-time and modern Phoenix, Arizona


It's July 12th as I write this, and I can feel the monsoons gathering. If you're new to the Phoenix area, this may seem puzzling, this humidity, and then the thunderstorms that follow, but if you're an old-timer, like me, you know that it's just what the Sonoran Desert does, every summer. When it rains, it pours. And as near as I can tell, it's been doing that for the past ten thousand years (when the last Ice Age ended, and this area became a desert).

Of course, I'm not quite old enough to remember the last Ice Age, but back then this area was considerably cooler. And the more I think about it, the more I would guess that it rained a lot back then, too. But probably a more consistent rain, spread out over the year, not the gully-washers of the past 10,000 years.

I was out pedaling around Peoria (a suburb of Phoenix) this morning, and while there's no rain in the forecast, I could feel the monsoons gathering. Phoenix usually has a dry heat, but it gets humid during monsoon season, and combined with very high temperatures (the low this morning was 92! That's the low temperature for the day!) it's best described as miserable, or sweaty. When the monsoons arrive, it feels great, but leading up to it is practically unbearable, even in the early morning hours.

My neighborhood, which is fairly modern, doesn't suffer much from the monsoons. There are gigantic storm drains buried underground, and there's also a huge flood retention area just north of me (Thunderbird Paseo). But the older neighborhoods still suffer, and the history of Phoenix is one of flood after flood (it's hard to believe, since it's a desert, but it's true).

In the bad old days of Phoenix, when people felt the monsoons gathering, they got out the sandbags, and hoped that their house wouldn't flood. Those days are so long ago that they're mostly forgotten, unless you're a Phoenix history buff, like I am.

Speaking for myself, from the comfort of my air-conditioning, I like the monsoons. The thunderstorms remind me of my childhood in Minneapolis, and like most people in Phoenix nowadays, a rainy day puts me in a good mood. But the time leading up to it is strange, as the monsoons gather, and everyone seems to be holding their breath.

Come on, rain!
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