The Beauty of Monsoon Season in Arizona
If you’ve never experienced Sedona and the high desert landscape during monsoon season in Arizona, you’re missing out on one of nature’s most dramatic spectacles. Running from mid-June to the end of September, the season is short, the thunderstorms intense, and both are unpredictable. This uniquely Southwestern phenomenon is exciting to witness, and it’s become the most beloved season by many locals who welcome a change in the weather pattern.
Another bonus of the monsoon season in Sedona? Fewer visitors are in town, translating to less competition on the popular hiking and biking trails, less-crowded sights and easier access to the town’s many attractions. Photographers can capture stunning images of lightning and stormy, El Greco-like skies. You’ll see Sedona in a different light and, if you’re lucky, have an opportunity to breathe in the elusive and much-loved scent of desert rain.
The name monsoon comes from the Arabic word “mausim” meaning season. The North American monsoon happens primarily in the Southwest and northwestern Mexico. Three things come together to create the perfect monsoon storm: wind direction, moisture in the air, and daytime heat. That’s summer in Arizona. According to the National Weather Service, Arizona’s monsoon season officially runs from June 15 to September 30.
The high desert comes alive after a monsoon storm, bringing much-needed moisture. Arizona receives 50% of its annual rainfall during monsoon season, keeping the Sonoran Desert lush and the forest lands green. Usually, the storms appear by late afternoon or early evening.
A monsoon thunderstorm awakens all your senses. The smell of summer rain is often the first sign that a storm is approaching. Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is rich with plants that emit volatile oils that are released after a downpour, their fragrance carried by approaching winds. The creosote bush, a plant native to Arizona and Mexico, and its herb chaparral are often cited as the most distinctive scent associated with monsoons Arizona. It’s sweet, fresh and earthy.
You can feel a monsoon thunderstorm coming when a cooler breeze blows in and the temperature drops a bit. Time to get indoors and stay safe. There’s no better place for monsooning in Sedona than in a private atrium at Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel.
The elevated, free-standing floor-to-ceiling bronzed glass-walled accommodations offer incomparable 180-degree views of the surrounding landscape. An Atrium becomes your private screening room for an Imax-like experience of an extraordinary monsoon adventure. Grab a beverage and gourmet snacks from your well-stocked mini-pantry and settle in for the show.
Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain, a “pink noise” that is especially soothing and perfect for napping. But you won’t want to sleep through this coming storm. Watch the sky change from blue to pewter and shades of gray, intensifying Sedona’s palette of reds and forest greens. The rain quickly intensifies, with the sound of rolling thunder and flashes of bright white bolts of lightning that zig zag repeatedly down to earth in an electrifying light show.
Soon the storm passes, the sun breaks through the ominous clouds and the landscape is aglow with a romantic, ethereal light and a giant rainbow or two. After a monsoon blows through and leaves, it becomes deliciously cool afterward, usually for the rest of the evening. It can take it from 105 down to 75 or 80 degrees and is beautiful afterwards to enjoy the outdoors. Monsoon thunderstorms bring out the best in Sedona’s vegetation, making the scenery even more beautiful. Pop up to the rooftop to enjoy the post-storm freshness. If it’s an afternoon storm, you’ll most probably have an intensely colorful sunset.
Just like the season, monsoon storms are short but can be dangerous. Don’t drive in one, or be caught outside in flash floods and storms. Stop, and smell the desert rain.