TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – It’s not unusual for the monsoon to be more intense for northern Mexico but in recent years they’ve seen an increase in flooding and an extension of their heat which has had a big impact on their environment.
Our average temperature in Arizona has been on the rise for over a century but for Northern Sonora they have seen a more dramatic rise over a shorter amount of time according to the global heat health information network.
In summer 2024, the heat wave in mid-June brought Mexico its highest recorded temperature in history reaching 125° in central Sonora.
For reference the highest temperature ever recorded in the City of Tucson is 117°. That was a record set back in 1990.
Temperatures like this can have a dramatic increase in the effects of the monsoon. In the last few years Sonora has been much more active with severe weather during the season then our state in Arizona.
It’s not just the monsoon that’s being impacted by this longer summer. The plants in both Arizona and Northern Sonora are not going through their yearly cycles on time.
If we keep seeing these warm temperatures last later and later into the year we might see the cycle of tree leaves move all the way back into January which could impact their pollen season.