Hello, I have lived in Arizona for 6 years now.. for the last 4 I've lived in a remote area in the Southeast corner of the state. It's been my experience that monsoon conditions are quite reliable, although you may or may not experience rainfall. If you come between the middle of July to the end of August any year I can guarantee that you will at least experience wind and numerous lightning shows, usually in the late afternoon/early evening, sometimes extending through the night. This week alone there were only 2 days where the monsoon conditions did not develop, although I think only 3 had rain right here. Sometimes you can see a rainstorm over the desert a few miles away. The storm areas are very isolated - it can be raining right over my house and not at my neighbors just a half mile away. If you travel during a monsoon you will likely travel in and out of several storm areas on some days. Tornados are very rare in Arizona, although dust devils are not. I've read that when tornados do occur they are weak and dissipate rapidly, and are nothing like what might be experienced in tornado alley. I've learned to unplug all my appliances when the first signs of thunder or lightning are present, since I have lost numerous electonic devices since moving to Arizona due to lightning (even with surge supressors). I lost a modem and a trackball the first year. Last year a satellite receiver was lost - I was present when I heard an audible pop from lightning running through the cable line and that was it for the box! A friend of mine lost 2 notebook computers before becoming wise enough to unplug. The downpours can be torrential for a short period of time, although that happens much less frequently than does the lightning. One year I believe we got very little rain but we were treated to a lightshow on a frequent basis during the season. If you come out here and decide to go hiking, just watch where you step! Where I live, rattlesnakes are not uncommon, nor are scorpions or tarantulas. Frankly, the Arizona desert is a pretty hostile place during the summer. Hope this helps.
