In Michigan, there’s a dumb saying. “Don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes.” It’s especially accurate on a typical summer day in Michigan: sunny, then cloudy, then sunny again, then a thunderstorm, then sunny again. Arizona’s monsoon season is similar, but more severe.
My cousin in Arizona told me she grew to appreciate the cloudy days here. After so much sun and bright blue skies, the cloudiness is a change in scenery and tone. My coworkers, who are Tucson natives, love monsoon season. I prefer the sun, but I see the beauty in the changing sky. The light and color, the swirling clouds. And somehow, sunsets are prettier when more clouds are in the sky.
Watching a recent storm from my balcony:
The sunset after a storm cleared:
The rain comes down hard here, but only lasts a few minutes. Some roads flood instantly. Here’s the street outside my workplace:
Lastly, monsoon season brings mosquitoes. (Yes, there are mosquitoes in Arizona. I’ve been duped.)