Global warming worsens Arizona's horrific monsoon

In Tucson, Arizona, monsoons like these may be blamed on warming. (?John D Sirlin/Shutterstock)

Summer in Arizona and across the Southwest is monsoon season, which means every afternoon as the climate changes, thunderstorms, flash floods, dramatic dust clouds and Spectacular lightning appears in the desert.

, A new study shows that while average daily rainfall has declined in parts of Arizona, the state's monsoon rains are becoming more intense. Increasing numbers of extreme storms threaten more severe flooding and giant dust storms known as Habobs. Each summer, "KdSPE" and "KDSPs" are water vapor in the lower troposphere - the monsoon currents that flow from the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California into the Southwest. Almost every day in midsummer, the sun heats mountains and deserts, creating convection currents. Rising warm air allows thunderclouds to form during the day, then explode into dramatic electrical storms in the afternoon and evening.

But today’s monsoons are not like those Route 66 travelers drove through 60 years ago.

Monsoon rains bring some drought relief to the southwest The southwest entered a "dry climate state" in May in the dry southwest, anxiously awaiting summer rains "KdSPE" "KDSPs" in the monsoon During that period, precipitation occurred during more extreme events," said study co-author Christopher Castro, associate professor of hydrology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "We found that because of increased water vapor in the atmosphere, especially downwind of mountains, as the As these storms grow and organize, they become larger and more intense than before

Extreme weather, including more intense rain, snow and flooding, is becoming more frequent as the climate changes because of lower levels. Warmer air in the atmosphere is able to hold more moisture. Extreme events have increased in every region of the United States since the 1950s. This summer, southern Arizona experienced its hottest June on record. A Wet July. Monsoonal moisture hit Tucson with heavy rainfall and flash flooding in the days following July's first triple-digit average daily temperature. Metro area, breaking daily rainfall record in one hour on July 15, according to the National Weather Service

Arizona's weather this summer is the result of an increasingly ferocious monsoon pattern that has been building over decades. As part of the new study, published in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, Castro said, Castro's team used more detailed and localized weather data than is standard. Precipitation information, comparing monsoon precipitation across the Southwest for two periods, 1950 to 1970 and 1991 to 2010, found that rainfall intensity was greater in Phoenix and in many low desert areas of the state, even in Arizona. Average daily rainfall decreased in most areas by as much as 30% in some places.

The storm lasted longer in southern and southwestern Arizona, with heavier rainfall and stronger downwinds, creating more severe storms. Large cabins, Castro said, were much smaller than those in the mid-20th century and in later decades.

This most notorious of the habu houses was like a sand tsunami in July 2011 The same tumble over Phoenix, just outside the study area.

This comes amid declining monsoon precipitation totals. "That's not good news," said Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty. Earth Observatory professor Richard Seager said he was not associated with the study. Heavy rainfall events increase flood risk and also increase soil erosion. However, this is happening simultaneously and ecosystems, including pastures, will be affected. Pressure on reduced water availability throughout the summer.

Siegel said this is an example of how global warming can change a region's hydrology to stress people, communities and ecosystems. David Gutzler, a climatologist at the University of New Mexico who was not associated with the study, said the research shows climate change is leading to more intense storms — exactly what scientists expect to see as the atmosphere warms.

"Determining changes in extreme events using standard meteorological data is difficult because standard meteorological data do not reliably capture the most intense rainfall." The study took advantage of high temperatures that did not exist a decade ago. resolution model to study simulated rainfall intensities in the Southwest. Details from the 'KDSPE' 'KDSPs' study should help authorities across the South West develop more flood plans. He said:

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Originally published in Climate Central.