Wild and Crazy Monsoon Weather!

Arizona's weather is fairly constant for most of the year.  You can usually predict beautiful blue skies and abundant sunshine most days, with the occasional rainstorm that moves through. 

However, and that's a BIG HOWEVER, all of that changes during monsoon season, which begins every year around July 4th.  This year was no exception - we watched our town's spectacular fireworks
 display  sitting in the rain.  Isaac and Joshua thought it was great fun!

We get to enjoy beautiful puffy clouds against the deep blue sky! 

This wall of dust is called a "haboob" and many times precedes the rain.  When you see this coming

 you make sure your windows are all shut very tightly!!

With the heat and humidity (ugh) of the day, the storm clouds build.  The interesting thing about monsoons is that they are so localized.  There can be a downpour a mile away, and we stay completely dry.

If we still lived in Nebraska, and I saw these particular clouds, I would be in the basement cowering for shelter.  I truly suffer from tornado-phobia from all my years of dealing with tornado warnings.  Living in Arizona has been very freeing for me!  I can enjoy these spectacular thunderstorms as they move through, sit out on our covered porch, and have NO FEAR THAT MY HOME WILL BE BLOWN TO BITS!!

Of course getting all of this rain in a short period of time means that the water has no place to go.  So yes,

we get standing water all over until it eventually soaks in.  Which results in a muddy driveway........and then the question "Can I get out?"  Sometimes yes........and many times no.

And we have heard that this was supposed to be a drier monsoon year..........not so far!

All of this rain does great things for our valley.  It replenishes the underground water supply, gives all of our plants and trees a jump start, and then turns everything GREEN!  In another couple of weeks the mountains and fields will turn a beautiful green and we all get to enjoy it while the rain lasts........usually until September.