The 2026 monsoons are set to begin June 15, 2026, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Arizona should look out for a wetter-than-usual monsoon.
The extra moisture in the air will not reduce the drought conditions and can even be a trigger for wildfires as lightning becomes more frequent in these conditions.
The monsoon will be recorded in a new way this year: the Dust Storm Intensity Ranking System will be ranking dust storms in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area using a scale from one to five to grasp better understanding of the dust storms severity.
Randy Cerveny, ASU climatologist, and Ryan Heintzman, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor at ASU, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss how these new scales will be helpful and what the monsoon has in store.
