There is nothing more sultry than an
Arizona Monsoon.
The term monsoon comes from the Arabic word mawsim, which means "season". So to call the monsoons "the monsoon season" is completely redundant.
In North America, our monsoon starts in late June and can go until mid September. Yes, we're still expecting storms for a couple more weeks.
The greatest thing about a monsoon storm is the swiftness with which the temperature drops, the humidity rises, and the lightning strikes.
Back when I was working at the local television station,
every summer evening we prepared for
the possibility of an upcoming storm.
The chopper was always sent into the air.
Usually the pilot navigated the skyline over to the East Valley
where a dust storm would pop up
and move through the entire metro Phoenix area.
This photo was taken in 2003 over Ahwatukee, Arizona
Reporters, photographers, and live trucks
were sent out in various directions,
all in search of the crazy weather
that always accompanied the storms.
My job kept me back at the station
where we watched the incoming footage,
editing the best stuff to share with the people at home.
For the most part we stayed dry,
but more than once the weather knocked out our power.
Back-up generators did not operate air-conditioning,
which meant we were dry, but we were hot!
(and not in a sexy kinda way ;)
One particular storm stands out in my memory.
An insane wind blew through the small town
of Surprise, Arizona, taking with it the roof of a school.
Some thought it might have been a tornado, but it was ultimately determined that it was only a microburst.
The "simple explanation" offered on Wikipedia for microburst is:
In the case of a wet microburst, the atmosphere is warm and humid in the lower levels and dry aloft. As a result, when thunderstorms develop, heavy rain is produced but some of the rain evaporates in the drier air aloft. As a result the air aloft is cooled thereby causing it to sink and spread out rapidly as it hits the ground. The result can be both strong damaging winds and heavy rainfall occurring in the same area. Wet downbursts can be identified visually by such features as a shelf cloud, while on radar they sometimes produce bow echoes. In the case of a dry microburst, the atmosphere is warm but dry in the lower levels and moist aloft. Thus when showers and thunderstorms develop, most of the rain evaporates before reaching the ground.
My terminology is:
"Holy crap! The wind was so strong, it ripped the roof off a school!"
Working the monsoons in a newsroom
also taught me the term "Haboob".
Yes, it's a funny term.
Yes, it made us all laugh.
Well, all of us except for the overly serious meteorologist.
(Don't even think of calling him a weatherman!)
Haboobs are really cool.
One second the sky is blue.
The next ... it's a rolling brown cloud.
Basically the wind gets kicked up. A downdraft picks up dust and
debris from the ground and whips it into the air.
The cycle continues until it appears to be a wall of yuck
moving in an all-consuming wave.
A few weeks ago a huge Haboob
struck the east side of the Phoenix metro area.
This picture was taken by Pictowrit.
In the newsroom, during a storm
we would carefully label each tape
coming in so that the morning crew
could find the footage they were looking for.
A couple years later took me to the morning show
and that was even harder, if you ask me.
(Besides getting up before the butt crack of dawn!)
Yes, we usually always had the a/c back on.
And yes, all the tapes were carefully logged and labeled,
but we also had the aftermath video to contend with.
On the morning show our crews reported
from the scene of where a power pole had snapped
and hundreds (or thousands) were without power.
Or where a tree had fallen into a house.
Or where a storm drain had gotten plugged
and flooded an entire neighborhood.
I love the Arizona Moonsoon storms.
Their majestic power is truly something to behold!
We get a glimpse of meteorologist Molly Mae Milligan
in the KHB newsroom in IN IT TO WIN IT.
Molly's happily-ever-after is still to come,
but you can meet Grayson Pierce and Jane Alexander today.
Back Cover Text:
Strike One
The girl once known as ‘Plain Jane’ Alexander is now the woman who makes men stop and take notice of her long legs and voluptuous feminine curves. Fifteen years ago she drove away from her small town determined to never look back … and to hate Grayson Pierce forever.
Strike Two
Grayson Pierce is a baseball playing, fast car driving, loose woman dating, expensive liquor drinking jerk. He’s also the guy that ripped Jane’s heart out and beat it with a meat cleaver in front of their entire high school.
Strike Three
When fate—and an offer for an exclusive interview—bring Jane home, she finds that some things aren’t as they appear. And Grayson proves that he is In It To Win It; her trust, her heart, and a World Series title.
I am Morgan Kearns; former journalist, current author.
Fade to Black, In It to Win It, and
The Seduction of Damian (The Gossip of Mysterious Lane #1)
are my available titles.
***
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