Record Rain Across the Southwest

Well, monsoon season is definitely in full force across the Southwest. You can read about what exactly monsoon season means here. Just on Monday, many cities across the southwest saw record rainfall. These storms didn't just come with heavy rain but also strong winds and hail in many spots across Arizona. In the next coming days, moisture from the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico will move into the region and bring back to back days of afternoon showers and storms. This is some much needed rain for a drought stricken region. This region has also been dealing with ongoing wildfires. Rain on the burn scars could also cause debris flows in areas like Durango. However, it doesn't take much rain in this region to trigger flash flooding. While the rain may be extremely beneficial, it does come with some other hazards. Heavy rain all at once on packed in ground can lead to flash flooding. The storms also come with some gusty winds that pick up the dust. Also, the rain sometimes evaporates before it reaches the ground so something called dry lightning can occur which can lead to more wildfires. For WeatherNation, Meteorologist Kate Mantych.