Arizona residents do not face many natural disasters. However, during the summer months within the Phoenix area, monsoon thunderstorms can cause unexpected weather catastrophes. Monsoonal storms range in severity from minor dust storms to violent thunderstorms.
These weather events can be one or more of the following:
- Wind
- Light to strong or high winds
- Tornadoes
- Microburst
- Dust
- Water
- Hail
- Heavy rain
- Flash flooding
Wind is generally the most common destructive natural force associated with monsoons. Serious damages regularly occur to people, property, homes and vehicles, due to high winds or tumbling debris. Oftentimes after a storm, you are likely to notice damaged power lines, home and/or roof damage and toppled trees. It is important to be aware of the dangerous conditions that can appear suddenly from these storms. For safety measures it would be cautions to stay indoors as the storms pass through the Phoenix region.
Tornadoes in Arizona are a rarity, however, they can be destructive while oftentimes small and short lived. Nonetheless, a more frequent destructive wind is a Microburst, which is a strong downdraft produced by a thunderstorm. Microbursts can produce winds over 100 mph and grow up to 2.5 miles wide, causing significant damage to everything in its path.
Dust storms precede most of the monsoon thunderstorms and are common placed all year long. However, Haboobs are a stronger type of dust storm created by thunderstorm cells and can reach a few thousands of feet high with winds as strong as 60 mph. The dust can be so bad that many times it is hard to see your hand in front of you. For safety reasons it is important to stay indoors as the dust in the air can cause Valley Fever if breathed in. If you are driving, pull to the side of the road and turns your lights OFF. Proceed driving only after the storms have pasted and the roadway is clear again.
Usually, a monsoon thunderstorm arrives from the southwest and heads in a northeastern direction. Early signs of a monsoon thunderstorm are strong winds, which occasionally results in a visible wall of dust; followed by thunder and lightning and often heavy downpours. Monsoon thunderstorms drop an average of 2 ½ inches of rain, which amounts to one-third of Phoenix’s annual rainfall. During a monsoon thunderstorm, other types of damages may occur. For instance, hail can cause severe surface damage (i.e. roofs, buildings, vehicles, landscaping). Or a high volume of rain can lead to the flooding of personal property and public areas (i.e. washes and streets).
Below is the following link for the seasonal guide to the Arizona Monsoons.
STOP Restoration Mesa has witnessed the effects of water damage and other disasters caused by natural forces from a single monsoon thunderstorm. However, should disaster strike your home or business, remember to call STOP at 480-818-1440 and count on us to provide quality disaster cleaning and repairs! We offer 24/7 emergency service for water, smoke, fire, wind, bio-hazard, vandalism, and other damage repair services. We service Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek (AZ) and other surrounding cities in the East Valley. We specialize in handling complexities of disaster situations and our team would be happy to help you out in an emergency. We take the worry out of the problem.
