What do Arizona, Thailand, and India all have in common? Aside from from delicious curries (at our house) and monsoons, not a whole lot! The word "monsoon" refers to a season, so technically I'm not supposed to say "monsoon season." But seeing as how I've never been one to easily conform, I'll continue using the phrase.Monsoon season is a period of intense thunderstorms, high humidity, and heavy rainfall. In my opinion it is one of the best times to be an Arizonan. Not only is it great hair weather for this curly girl, but it's a fascinating time to observe mother nature interacting with the locals.
It's a well-known fact that Tucson is a Desert with a capital DRY! So when the rain comes people get a little excited around here, and for a good reason. The only way that I can explain the enthusiasm we experience is by drawing a comparison to another desert, only this one much colder. In Idaho Falls, as in Tucson, water from heaven is a rare commodity. As a child, I used to do snow dances in the front yard pleading with the heavens to send an excuse for me to get out of school for a day. I was often one disappointed little kid. Fortunately for me, the farmers must have been praying for moisture (a much more effective method for communing with the heavens, I might add). And when the flakes fell, I was the most celestial snow angel on the block.
Well, the first rain is to Tucson, what the first snow is to Idahoans. Bliss! Two days ago we experienced a fantastic rainstorm, and I'd like to say that monsoon season has officially arrived. The storm brought horizontal rain, lightning, and hail. Weird combo. By the time the rain
had slowed to a drizzle I had a veritable lake right outside my front door. Unfortunately, the soggy bog was no more inviting than the view from my office window; a brick wall. Oh well, so much for work environment. At least I get to see a good show every now and then.Here are a little pic I pulled from the internet. Sorry it's so small. You'll have to come visit to get the full effect (hint, hint).
2 comments:
Andrea! What a fun posting; you had me laughing throughout! How I miss your humour! The good ol' days of youth when school was canceled for snow! (It was still nice to have school canceled for temperatures well below zero, but those were slightly more uncomfortable days, don't you think?) Ah, memories.
Oh, I love violent thunderstorms! I wish I could have seen it.
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