Hang on to Your Hat, It’s Monsoon Time!

Big storms can mean big trouble for us desert dwellers. That’s why everyone needs to keep an eye and ear out for the early signs of storms. It’s important to know what to do when they hit.

Officially, Arizona’s monsoon season started on June 15, but our wet weather usually kicks into high gear around the Fourth of July. Forecasters predict that this monsoon season is gonna come in with a roar. “We’re looking at it coming in fairly wet with some pretty good rain,” explains Glen Sampson, meteorologist in charge for the National Weather Service in Tucson. The end, toward August and September, isn’t expected to be quite as wet as the beginning, he adds.

Fueled by extreme heat and a lot of moisture coming up from the south, our monsoon is famous for its almost daily thunderstorms. Sampson says these dramatic and violent storms can really pack a punch in four ways: heavy rainfall, large hail, strong winds and lightning. On average, storms kill five people, injure 27 and cause about $66 million in property damage in Arizona each year.

“We can get 2 to 3 inches (of rain) an hour,” Sampson points out. “In an urban area, if we get an inch per hour, we usually have pretty big problems with water flowing down the street and the washes filling up.” Flowing water is incredibly powerful. It can easily sweep away a car and everyone in it! The safety message “Turn Around Don’t Drown” means that drivers should never go around barricades when water is flowing.

Flash floods from our monsoons can be deadly, Sampson says. “People driving through washes with flowing water or people hiking into a canyon can get washed away.”

This time of year, people need to be on the lookout for lightning while swimming or playing outdoors. “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors” is the safety slogan for lightning. The faster the thunder follows a lightning strike, the closer it is to you. Head inside, and remember that park ramadas aren’t safe from lightning.

The NWS issues watches and warnings to help keep people safe. Radio and TV stations broadcast these important messages so people know what to expect. You can also buy a battery-powered weather radio. “A watch is more or less to take notice, to be alert. And a warning is to take action—that severe weather is occurring or imminent,” Sampson explains.

Tap-dancing Teens Take Over Tony Awards

Three young dancers are lighting up the stage on Broadway, and now they have a top award to go along with rave reviews.

The boys share the title role in “Billy Elliot: The Musical,” which won 10 Tonys last month, including best musical and best actor in a musical. The Tonys, awarded to the best in American theater, split the best actor prize and honored 15-year-old David Alvarez, 13-year-old Trent Kowalik and 14-year-old Kiril Kulish. This was the first time three actors shared the best actor award, which normally goes to one actor.

Laws prohibit kids from working too many hours, so the teens take turns playing the role of an English boy who feels caught between his working-class roots and his dreams of becoming a dancer. The play is based on the acclaimed 2000 movie, in which scenes of striking coal miners alternate with scenes of ballet class. Billy struggles to follow his heart in a time and place where boys just don’t dance.

At the awards show, the boys thanked family and friends, and Kiril added, “We want to say to all the kids out there who might want to dance, ‘Never give up.’”

The writer and the director of the film spent years bringing the uplifting story to the stage. Pop star Elton John wrote the music for “Billy Elliot.”