Every summer the southwest gets drenched by flashflood inducing downpours. The sky turns purple, the wind whips up and backyard hummingbirds take shelter from the monsoon about to unload. It would be amazing if we didn’t get the entire years worth of rain in a two-hour storm, but beggars can’t be choosers. But we can whine.
This year has been particularly savage. It is up for debate in Kanab whether the damage is purely mother natures doing, or if the building boom currently underway hasn’t fully taken into consideration that the water cascading off our beautiful red cliffs has to go somewhere. So far that water really likes getting into homes and businesses and floating off a dumpster or two. We’ll figure it out. In the meantime, we’ll continue to help each other when a storm hits town.
But what does this mean for your travel planning? Lots. People from ‘away’ don’t pay enough attention to these monsoon warnings.
The last place you want to find yourself is in a canyon, or on the far side of a creek crossing. Flash floods are real, and they kill folks every year.
So while planning to visit the southwest, keep in mind summer and late summer storms can be dramatic and unload a ton of water. Pay attention to what the weather person says, and ask a local or two.
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