The first big storm of the AZ monsoon has finally started here at our apartment (near Tempe). In most places, a storm like this would mean “Batten down the hatches”. Here? It is a cause for great rejoicing.
The first indications that the weather has broken are the weather specials on TV. These are uniquely AZ shows. They warn the new residents and visitors what is coming their way. Flooding, thunder, the most spectacular lightening storms imaginable.
Next come the wind and dust storms. These start before the rain actually comes. This year, we got a couple of weeks of them. During this time, other areas get storms, but pockets of the Valley of the Sun always get missed. (We happen to live in one of those pockets right now.)
Then, we start getting breaking news that a storm is approaching. There will be a few false alarms. There will be more of those “everywhere but here storms”. There will even be pocket rains.
And then, the miracle. The desert storms erupt. They start in the south and swirl around the south Valley. They start to move. You get a feeling in the air that things might FINALLY be changing.
And you hear it: Rain. On the roof. On the window. On the sidewalk.
The beautiful sounds are quickly joined by the laughter of the kids outside running in the rain. Adults join them. We walk and talk. We all get wet. We breath the dusty, wet air. We walk along the sidewalks, still warm from the heat of the last few weeks. We delight in knowing that the allergies driving us all nuts for the last few weeks will soon get a bit better. The rain is here and clearing the pollen and dust away.
After a storm or two, we will all go back to wanting our blue skies, our heat. But for today, Phoenix has rain. And I am glad to be back in it!
