Here in Arizona, temperatures say it’s time to be indoors to enjoy your beautiful home, or perhaps to plan your next home remodeling project to make it be your dream home! But it also signals that monsoon season is here which needs hot and dry weeks to set up rainfall. (And if you hear thunder, that’s another reason to stay indoors, for safety!) If you watch the weather, a Low Pressure over the Baja of California brings in moisture from the ocean and a High Pressure over Texas creates the wind pattern that allows moisture to release over our state.
Monsoons definitely bring a variety of variables in the day. It can start out sunny and clear, and then a storm rolls bringing dangers of blowing dust reduced driving visibility, lightning strikes, power outages and flash flooding. It can be a torrential rainfall in one part of the valley while another part remains without precipitation. Here are some tips to be prepared.
Power surges There is a risk to your electronics if there is a thunderstorm and if there are lightning strikes nearby. Using a surge power strip may help if the strike wasn’t too close, or if it hasn’t been damaged before unbeknownst to you, otherwise you may want to unplug your electronics. (That can be easy if you have them plugged into a strip). If you like to get out of the heat and you’re not home to attend to your refrigerator, oven, home entertainment, computers and the like when there is an electrical storm, you may want to invest in a whole house surge protector. They are less expensive than replacing fried circuit boards, even dimmer switches and GFCI outlets can get damaged. Ask a licensed electrician for what they recommend and have them install it: (Click here for more tips for being safe in a lightening storm.)
Power Outages Utility companies are quick to respond to restore power, but if there has been a lot of damage, it can take a while. You may be able to sign up for loss of service/service restored alerts for your area which is helpful; especially if you are not at home. Here are some tips to deal with loss of electricity: Do your best to keep your freezer full, even if it is with plastic jugs of frozen water. It will help it run more efficiently and retain cold temperatures. Do not open your freezer when the power is out. Beforehand you may want to freeze a small glass of water, and then stick a penny at the top and store it on the freezer door. It may indicate a power loss if the ice melted and the coin sank. There are variables to its accuracy, but if the coin is more than halfway down, the edibility of meat may be questionable. You may want to have a charged generator as a backup to keep your food cold.
Gustnado Tornados are rare in Arizona, and are more likely to occur in the Fall. However, a monsoon can spawn a gustnado which is a funnel cloud that looks like a tornado. Winds at a leading edge of a storm can from a votex and whip up dust and debris that soon dissipates without causing much damage. That’s good to know you can keep calm if you see one!
Rainfall We all would like cooling rain to freshen the air and water our yards. Did you ever wonder why big rainstorms build up and just rain on the outskirts of the cities? Man-made surfaces such as concrete and asphalt create a heat island that builds up and releases heat that rises and acts as a block for the clouds. With that barrier, the water vapor condenses, gets heavy and falls before reaching urban areas. Sometimes you can even see rain is falling, but because of the rising heat a lot of it evaporates before it reaches the ground! If you would like to do your part to help cool the city environment and enjoy the benefits of rain, promote the planting of trees in parking lots! Just as it is cooler being the shade, it also lessens the amount of heating up the hard surfaces that release throughout the day and night. Not only do trees help remove air pollutants and provide oxygen, all the people who get to park in the shade do greatly appreciate it too!
Using the 2023 Cost vs Value Report for Home Remodeling Planning
Help Cook Remodeling be Award Winning Again with Your Vote!
Patriotic Cauliflower N’Ice Cream
SINCE 1979