PHOENIX — Now that Monsoon 2024 is underway, you've been seeing the 12News Exclusive Monsoon Meter during the weather forecasts. Let's break down what the numbers mean.
The 12News Exclusive Monsoon Meter uses a scale of zero to 10 throughout the entire state. We break down Arizona into the following zones: northern Arizona, western Arizona, the White Mountains, southeast Arizona, and the valley. The three main factors our meteorologists look at when assigning numbers on the Monsoon Meter are confidence, storm coverage, and potential storm strength.
If we are confident that there will not be any storms at all, you'll see a zero.
A one on the Monsoon Meter means while most locations will remain dry, a stray, isolated storm is not completely out of the question.
Twos and threes on the Monsoon Meter mean that our confidence for isolated storms is higher. There will likely be more isolated, hit-or-miss storms within the assigned area.
Once you see fours and fives on the Monsoon Meter, that's when we're talking about scattered storm coverage.
Sixes and sevens mean that widespread monsoon storms will be a good bet.
The upper end of the Monsoon Meter, numbers eight through 10, means that widespread severe storms are likely. You'll likely see the upper end of the Monsoon Meter used more across northern Arizona and in the White Mountains. Numbers eight through 10 are rarely used in the valley and lower deserts.
When you're driving around Phoenix, you'll see some 12News Monsoon Meter billboards near the freeways. This Monsoon Meter is a storm forecast specifically for the valley. Typically, higher numbers are assigned to northern Arizona, the White Mountains, and sometimes in southeast Arizona.
The Monsoon runs June 15 through September 30.
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Arizona Weather
Arizona has seen its fair share of severe weather. Here is a compilation of videos from various storms across the Grand Canyon state.