Tracking the North American Monsoon

The North American monsoon provides 60-70% of our annual rainfall in the Southwest. CLIMAS researcher Michael Crimmins tracks the monsoon and provides critical insights on unique elements of the summer monsoon season. He also co-hosts the Southwest Monsoon Fantasy Forecasts, an online game where players make monsoon forecasts, score points based on them, and compete with others. 

Watch the video above to learn about tracking the North American monsoon, and what this means for disaster preparedness across the Southwest.

Film directed and produced by Elena Greenberg and Gigi Owen. Watch more short films on our YouTube channel. 

The monsoon season lasts from June 15th-September 30th. CLIMAS develops and updates daily maps throughout the monsoon season, including total precipitation intensity maps and frequency of rainfall events. To follow monsoon conditions in real time, visit the National Weather Service's website or the monsoon research page on the CLIMAS website. Featured resources include the Monsoon Tracker, Rainlog, and daily precipitation maps.