SAN DIEGO – Monsoon season is in full swing across the parched Southwest, but it’s the remnants of what was once Tropical Storm Juliette in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that could cause some problems in the western U.S. on Thursday.
It’s been a wet and stormy week across the Southwest, and it’s looking like that trend will continue through at least the end of the week.
DUST IN THE WIND: Watch the best angles of the haboob dust storm that swept over the Phoenix area on Monday.
Earlier this week, Phoenix was plunged into darkness as a massive haboob swept across portions of Arizona.
And in Nevada, torrential rain led to a mudslide that covered portions of Interstate 80, forcing officials to close the road at Derby Dam between Fernley and USA Parkway overnight.
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Crews were able to work through the night to clear mud and debris from the road, and the highway was reopened early Thursday morning.
More monsoon rain and thunderstorms are expected in the West and Southwest, but it’s rare rain in Southern California that’s making headlines.
“When we talk about tracking the moisture from Juliette, which is no longer a tropical storm, you have to watch how that moisture gets strung out and stretched out and into the United States,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Marissa Torres said. “And first up is Southern California.”
The rain is definitely needed in the West and Southwest. Arizona, for example, is 100% in drought.
And the same is true for portions of Southern California, including the San Diego area.
This graphic shows the current drought situation in the western U.S.
(FOX Weather)
“Right now, over Southern California, portions of San Diego County, we’re seeing that rainfall,” Torres continued. “It’s not heavy compared to what we’re seeing in areas farther off to the east. But San Diego doesn’t typically see rain in August.”
In fact, San Diego only averages about 0.01 inches of rain in August. And the last measurable rain that fell in August in San Diego occurred back in 2023.
The wettest August on record in San Diego occurred back in 1977.
“Whenever we have even a decaying tropical system, sometimes the upper-level winds can scoop up that moisture and transport it to land,” Torres said.
While rain is in the forecast on Thursday, flooding doesn’t appear to be a concern at this time.
“There’s no flood concern in Southern California for (Thursday),” Torres said. “Which speaks to some of the lightness of the rain.”
