August 2024 SW Climate Podcast – Monsoon Morphology

Recorded 8/16//2024 Aired 8/20/2024   Now that we are over halfway through the 2024 monsoon season, this month’s Southwest Climate Podcast hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins don their chef hats and lay out the main ingredients of the monsoon.  They give a recap of recent rain events, answer the question of whether or not the characteristics of convective storm dynamics have changed, and offer their thoughts on what is on the horizon for September.  Great timing as 8/31 is your last chance to join in the Southwest Monsoon Fantasy Forecasts game this year!       Mentions: RainLog “Understanding the Dominant Sources and Tracks of Moisture for Summer Rainfall in the Southwest United States” NWS - Tucson: Monsoon Tracker Southwest U.S. Summer Monsoon Season Precipitation Mapping "Intensification of the North American Monsoon Rainfall as Observed From a Long-Term High-Density Gauge Network" "Observed humidity trends in dry regions contradict climate models" NWS - Climate Prediction Center: Outlooks Southwest Monsoon Fantasy Forecasts Game AZ Central “Why is the monsoon so unpredictable? It takes a lot to make a good thunderstorm”