Tucson monsoon: Praying for rain during El Día de San Juan

Legend says that on June 24, 1540, Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado stood on the banks of the parched Santa Cruz riverbed and prayed for rain. It rained, and Coronado deemed that from that day forward the summer rains would come on the 24th day of June.

Fire danger may be less this year, say forecasters

Even without persistent winds this year, forest fuels will continue to dry until the area gets significant rainfall, which likely won't happen until the monsoon comes, usually in early to mid-July.

Fire danger may be less this year, say forecasters

A fire that broke out at Fort Huachuca in June 2011 sent authorities patrolling nearby neighborhoods in Sierra Vista. Fires burned more than 1 million acres in Arizona last year.

Fire danger may be less this year, say forecasters

Fire danger is high this spring, as it is every year of the continuing Southwest drought, but there are some hopeful signs that this year will not repeat last year's record burns in New Mexico and Arizona, according to U.S. Forest Service meteorologists.

A look at the 'bursts' and 'breaks' of the Arizona monsoon

As this week's weather pattern in Tucson reveals, monsoon's rains are not constant. Instead, these thunderstorms occur in a pattern of bursts and breaks. This graphic explains how it works.

Happy first day of monsoon! Wait, is it really?

So, you probably already know monsoon is a season. In the past, this season was ushered in based on the dew-point data: Have three days in a row at average dew point of 54 degrees or higher? Well, then monsoon started on the first of those three days.