Tucson’s weather talk has focused more on heat rather than rain during a time when the Old Pueblo is typically fixated on the monsoon.
Tucson just completed several days of record-breaking heat.
But halfway through Tucson’s official monsoon period, weather forecasters say storm clouds could soon be back on our horizon.
So far, monsoon 2025 has dropped 1.88 inches of rain at the airport, where the city’s official weather records are kept.
This is about 3.51 inches less than monsoon rainfall totals taken at this time last year.
So far, the heat has been the dominant topic for Tucson’s monsoon period. Forecasters, however, say the season’s lackluster performance when it comes to thunderstorms still has a chance to turn things around.
A typical monsoon season, beginning on June 1 and ending on Sept. 30, will garner about 5.69 inches of precipitation at the airport, said Julia Tetrault, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tucson.
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It’s a far cry from where we are today, making it one of the driest monsoon seasons on record, according to weather service statistics.
“In general, monsoon is always a hit or a miss,†Tetrault said. “It all depends on where the high pressure wants to go…There’s always hope, but water is going to do what water does.â€
The last time rain was recorded at the airport was on July 22. How much? A dismal .1 inch.
Tetrault, however, noted that other areas of Tucson might have experienced more significant amounts.
“It doesn’t tell the whole picture of what’s happening, but it evens out,†she said.
There is a slight chance of rain that will take us through Wednesday, the forecast shows.
The last time rain was recorded at Tucson’s airport — the official location for weather data here — was .1-inches on July 22. This year’s monsoon has officially dropped less than two inches of rain since June 1, the start of the city’s monsoon period.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the low 100s all week. Monday’s high is expected to be 105 degrees with about a 30% chance of rain in the area.
Normal temperatures of 98 should be reached by the end of the month, Tetrault said.
Sub-triple-digit temperatures are something to look forward to after a recent cluster of especially hot days in the Old Pueblo.
On Aug. 6, the high temperature at the airport reached 111, a new daily record.
The next day it was 112 degrees. It tied an all-time August record last experienced on Aug. 1, 1993.
In terms of what the next month holds for both rain and heat, it’s all up in the air — quite literally.
It’ll depend on where the high pressure wants to go, Tetrault said.
“Monsoon is weirdly dominated by high pressure ... we could see another moisture increase come in the middle of the week, but it’s a little push and pull in terms of moisture versus heat,†she said.
