ABC-7 StormTRACK weather team works with NWS El Paso during Monsoon Awareness Week

The monsoon season is just around the corner!

June, July, and August the climate in the borderland changes dramatically from very dry, too humid, muggy and rainy. Torrential rain, thunderstorms, microburst and extreme heat play a major role in severe weather events. Monsoon-fed scattered showers and thunderstorms; during severe weather outbreaks cause conditions to change rapidly.

The most intense storms occur during the late summer months. Monsoon Awareness Week begins Monday, June 11 and will wrap up on Friday, June 15. The National Weather Service El Paso and the ABC-7 StormTRACK Weather team work together to decrease the number of weather-related hazards.

According to the National Weather Service, lightning strikes the United States about 25 million times a year. Lightning kills an average of 47 people in the United States each year, and hundreds more are severely injured. Lightning can reach temperatures of roughly 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. When you see lightning and hear thunder, take safety precautions and go indoors. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors.

The official start of Monsoon Season is June 15 to September 30. Jason Laney with the National Weather Service El Paso says a microburst can cause destruction just as devastating as a small tornado. He explained that a microburst is a small column of intense sinking air that results in a violent uprush of air at the ground. The air can rush towards the ground at speeds of 70 MPH before impacting the surface and spread out in all directions.

Drivers need to be especially careful when they get behind the wheel of a car and practice safe driving habits so they don’t find themselves “at one” with a large tree or worse, another vehicle. If you run into a severe dust storm, reduce the speed of your vehicle immediately and drive carefully off the highway.

Another weather hazard we deal with is flash flooding, which happens when rain falls so fast that the underlying ground cannot cope, or drain it away fast enough. It takes only two feet of water to float away most cars. Do not drive into flooded roadways – turn around, don’t drown.

Summer has not officially begun, yet we’ve had a string of triple-digit and record-breaking temperature days. It’s this heat each year that prompts the StormTRACK Weather team to stress the importance of heat safety. The NWS says that on average 130 people die each year from heat-related illnesses.

Make sure you do the right thing and keep yourself hydrated, don’t leave little ones in the car, and always make sure you check on the elders and protect your pets.

According to the CDC more than 600 people in the United States are killed by extreme heat every year. You want to make sure you aren’t a statistic in heat-related deaths. Stay hydrated – it keeps your body healthy and helps control temperature. To avoid heat-related problems like sunburns and more serious illnesses click this link: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/index.html.