This summer’s rainfall has teetered between too much and too little across the United States. Record-high rainfall in pockets of the country brought unprecedented flooding; meanwhile, droughts worsened in other communities.
This summer, the most notable precipitation deviations from normal occurred in the southwestern United States, which received around 100 to 150 percent more rain than its long-term average amounts because of an active monsoon season.The Southwest monsoon is a seasonal wind shift that brings moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean into the Southwest and parts of Southern California. Thunderstorms during monsoon season can deliver up to 50 to 70 percent of the region’s total rainfall.
“Probably the most interesting feature to me was the reincarnation of the [S]outhwest monsoon this year, which led to numerous flood hazards in the parched southwestern U.S.,” wrote John Abatzoglou, a climate scientist at the University of California at Merced, in an email. For instance, heavy rain at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico trapped 200 people for several hours until officials rescued them. Twice in about two weeks in late July and early August,Carbin added that the monsoon pattern helped break all-time monthly rainfall records near the Arizona-New Mexico border.
The torrents of rain triggered serious flooding that engulfed communities, damaged infrastructure and prompted emergency rescues. Thirty-eight people died in the rain event in eastern Kentucky, and at least one person died in the flooding in Dallas. Several other areas also experienced unusual and serious rain events. In June, 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in Yellowstone National Park and melted snow, triggering
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