North American monsoon

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Summer monsoon rain over eastern New Mexico

The North American monsoon, variously known as the Southwest monsoon, the Mexican monsoon, the New Mexican monsoon, or the Arizona monsoon,[1] is a pattern of pronounced increase in thunderstorms and rainfall over large areas of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, typically occurring between June and mid-September. During the monsoon, thunderstorms are fueled by daytime heating and build up during the late afternoon and early evening. Typically, these storms dissipate by late night, and the next day starts out fair, with the cycle repeating daily. The monsoon typically loses its energy by mid-September when much drier conditions are reestablished over the region. Geographically, the North American monsoon precipitation region is centered over the Sierra Madre Occidental in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Durango, Sonora and Chihuahua.[2]

Causes and effects[edit]

See also: Thermal low and Gulf of California moisture surge
Weather pattern of the North American monsoon
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3-second video of a lightning strike during a monsoon over Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park
A seasonal monsoon storm approaching the Tiger Fire on July 9, 2021

The North American monsoon is a complex weather process that brings moisture from the Gulf of California (and to lesser extent the eastern Pacific and Gulf of Mexico) over northwestern Mexico and southwestern US resulting in summer thunderstorms, especially at higher elevations. Monsoon rains account for 35% to 45% of total rainfall in the desert Southwest.[3]

The North American monsoon is not as strong or persistent as its Indian counterpart, mainly because the Mexican Plateau is not as high or as large as the Tibetan Plateau in Asia. However, the North American monsoon shares most of the basic characteristics of its Indian counterpart. There is a shift in wind patterns in summer which occurs as Mexico and the southwest U.S. warm under intense solar heating. As this happens, the flow reverses. The prevailing winds start to flow from somewhat cooler moist ocean areas into hotter, dry land areas.[4] The late spring period is very hot and dry, because the dry western side subtropical high pressure ridge and dry continental air have not begun to 'shift' northwards yet. During this period, inland areas have very low relative humidity, and characteristically low dew points, which are frequently well below the freezing mark. This delayed effect prevents tropical moisture from invading until later in the summer farther north and west toward Death Valley.[citation needed] In some years, the Nevada deserts may receive almost no monsoon influence if the western subtropical high shifts less than in typical years. For instance in 2020, the subtropical high remained further south than usual due to the influence of a strong ridge of high pressure over the northern Pacific, displacing the jet stream further inland.[5] The combination of these factors blocked moist tropical air from reaching the American Southwest, leading to below average rainfall.

The monsoon begins in late May to early June in southern Mexico and spreads along the western slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental, reaching Arizona and New Mexico in early July. It extends into the southwest United States as it matures in mid-July, when an area of high pressure, called the monsoon or subtropical ridge, develops in the upper atmosphere over the Four Corners region, creating wind flow aloft from the east or southeast.[5] At the same time, a thermal low (a trough of low pressure from intense surface heating) develops over the Mexican Plateau and the Desert Southwest of the United States.[6] However, the near-constant presence of the hot and dry continental tropical (cT) air mass means that a strong dew point frontal boundary, the dryline, becomes prevalent. The cT air mass lies on the northwest side of this front. On the southeast side of this boundary, is the warm, humid maritime tropical (mT) air mass that arrives upon the dryline crossing over advancing towards the northwest. When this occurs, it signals the meteorological start to the monsoon period. There are also quieter periods at times, when the dryline moves somewhat back to the southeast, temporarily returning low level continental air and its much lower precipitable water levels to the affected areas, when the monsoon flow tendency periodically slackens.[citation needed]

Pulses of low level moisture are transported primarily from the Gulf of California and eastern Pacific. The Gulf of California, a narrow body of water surrounded by mountains, is particularly important for low-level moisture transport into Arizona and Sonora. Upper level moisture is also transported into the region, mainly from the Gulf of Mexico by easterly winds aloft. Once the forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental green up from the initial monsoon rains, evaporation and plant transpiration can add additional moisture to the atmosphere which will then flow into Arizona. Finally, if the southern Plains of the U.S. are unusually wet and green during the early summer months, that area can also serve as a moisture source.[4]

As precipitable water values rise in early summer, brief but often torrential thunderstorms can occur, especially over mountainous terrain.[7] This activity is occasionally enhanced by the passage of tropical waves and the entrainment of the remnants of tropical cyclones.[8][9]

Monsoons often play a role in reducing wildfire threat by providing moisture at higher elevations during the wildfire season.[10]

Flash flooding is a serious danger during the monsoon. Dry washes can become raging rivers in an instant, even when no storms are visible as a storm can cause a flash flood tens of miles away; it is therefore wise to avoid camping in a dry wash during the monsoon. Lightning strikes are also a significant danger. Because it is dangerous to be caught in the open when these storms suddenly appear, many golf courses in Arizona have thunderstorm warning systems.

Patterns of rainfall[edit]

An isolated thunderstorm rolls through Wah Wah Valley, Utah. This type of monsoonal pattern is very common in the late summer of the southwest US.

Rainfall during the monsoon is not continuous. It varies considerably, depending on a variety of factors. There are usually distinct "burst" periods of heavy rain during the monsoon, and "break" periods with little or no rain. Monsoon precipitation, however, accounts for a substantial portion of annual precipitation in northwest Mexico and the Southwest U.S. Most of these areas receive over half their annual precipitation from the monsoon.[4]

The North American monsoon circulation pattern typically develops in late May or early June over southwest Mexico. By mid to late summer, thunderstorms increase over the "core" region of the southwest U.S. and northwest Mexico, including the U.S. and Mexican states of Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Durango.[4] The monsoon typically arrives in mid to late June over northwest Mexico, and early July over the southwest U.S. Once the monsoon is underway, mountain ranges, including the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Mogollon Rim provide a focusing mechanism for the daily development of thunderstorms. Thus much of the monsoon rainfall occurs in mountainous terrain. For example, monsoon rainfall in the Sierra Madre Occidental typically ranges from 10 to 15 inches. Since the southwest U.S. is at the northern fringe of the monsoon, precipitation is less and tends to be more variable. Areas farther west of the core monsoon region, namely California and Baja California, typically receive only spotty monsoon-related rainfall. In those areas, the intense solar heating is not strong enough to overcome a continual supply of cold water from the North Pacific Ocean moving down the west coast of North America. Winds do turn toward the land in these areas, but the cool moist air actually stabilizes the atmosphere.[4] The monsoon pushes as far west as the Peninsular Ranges and Transverse Ranges of Southern California, but rarely reaches the coastal strip. As shown in the panorama below, a wall of thunderstorms, only a half-hour's drive away, is a common sight from the sunny skies along the coast during the monsoon.

Monsoonal thunderstorms as seen from El Cajon, California

This monsoon ridge is almost as strong as the one which develops over Asia during the summer. However, since the lower level moisture flow is not as persistent as in the Indian monsoon, the upper level steering pattern and disturbances around the ridge are critical for influencing where thunderstorms develop on any given day. The exact strength and position of the subtropical ridge also governs how far north the tropical easterly winds aloft can spread. If the ridge is too close to a particular area, the sinking air at its center suppresses thunderstorms and can result in a significant monsoon "break." If the ridge is too far away or too weak, the east winds around the high are inadequate to bring tropical moisture into the mountains of Mexico and southwest U.S. However, if the ridge sets up in a few key locations, widespread and potentially severe thunderstorms can develop.[4]

Variability[edit]

Unlike the Pacific region of the United States and the west coast of Baja California, precipitation in the North American monsoon is associated not with large-scale mid-latitude cyclones, but with thunderstorms which have very different spatial/temporal distribution characteristics. The difficulty in understanding the variability of summertime convective activity in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico results from the complex interactions between atmospheric circulation features at both the synoptic (100 to 1000 km spatially, 1 day to 1 week, temporally) and mesoscale (several km to 100 km, hours to one day temporally) and the extremely varied topography. The larger-scale atmospheric motions may control the distribution of water vapor and the general stability or instability (that is, the tendency to form storms) in the atmosphere; nevertheless, local topographic effects are critical to the geographic and even temporal distribution of convective activity.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Adams, David; Comrie, Andrew (1997). "The North American Monsoon". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 78 (10): 2197–2213. Bibcode:1997BAMS...78.2197A. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1997)078<2197:TNAM>2.0.CO;2.
  2. ^ Jump up to:a b Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document: Adams, David K. (1997). "Review of Variability in the North American Monsoon". Impact of Climate Change and Land Use in the Southwestern United States.
  3. ^ [1], Frequency Modes of Monsoon Precipitation in Arizona and New Mexico, Anne W. Nolin, Oregon State University
  4. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the National Weather Service document: "North American Monsoon".
  5. ^ Jump up to:a b Duginski, Paul (2020-08-09). "Drought continues to expand as the monsoon in the Southwest has been largely a no-show". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  6. ^ "The Monsoon". National Weather Service Forecast Office Flagstaff, Arizona. Archived from the original on 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  7. ^ Junker, Norman W. "Maddox Type IV Event". Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  8. ^ "Reports to the Nation: The North American Monsoon" (PDF). Climate Prediction Center. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  9. ^ Roth, David M. "Tropical Cyclone Rainfall for the West". Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  10. ^ US Crop Reporting Board, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Marketing Service, and Agricultural Statistics Board (2006). Crop Production. Crop Reporting Board, Statistical Reporting Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. pp. 30, 36.