If you’ve resided in Arizona for all four seasons, you know to expect Arizona monsoon season in the summer. This Southwest weather season used to start with three days in a row that had high dew point temperatures, but now the official season is designated from late June to September each year. It comes with storms that are created from the combination of dry winds, moisture, and heat. Monsoons can bring extensive damage to your home from weather conditions such as monsoon rains, floods, and thunderstorms. That’s why it’s smart to prepare your dwelling for this season. Follow these helpful tips to keep your home protected and to prevent problems from monsoons.
Rain and Flood Damage
The rainfall can be significant during Arizona monsoon season. This weather condition often leads to flooding that can damage your home. To prevent as much damage as possible, try to obtain free sand from area fire stations. Then, put the sandbags in front of your doorways to help block the water from entering the home.
Also, you can prepare your home before the rain comes by ensuring that it has proper runoff set up. Clean your gutters and downspouts so they can effectively direct the rainfall away from your home. Also, institute fixes if your downspouts aren’t properly reaching the ground and bringing the water away from the house.
Dust Concerns
Dust storms provide one of the most troublesome and dangerous conditions that area residents encounter during an Arizona monsoon. Dust might seem harmless aside from making the house dirty, but it can develop a clog in your smoke detectors and set them off with a false alarm. To ensure that your dwelling is safe with detectors that work properly, consider cleaning your detectors.
Wind Hazards
It’s smart to prepare before Arizona monsoon seasons for high winds. Since these winds can knock trees from your yard onto your home, assess your backyard before the season hits. By trimming or removing trees that are too close to the building, you could prevent potential consequences such as damage to the structure.
Overall Preparations for Arizona Monsoon Season
In addition to preparing for specific scenarios of monsoons, consider readying your house for any sort of conditions storms could throw at it. First of all, check your roof yourself or have it inspected by a professional contractor. If there are problem areas, it is ideal to fix them before heavy winds, dust, and rain bombard the roof and worsen the damage.
In the same way, you can assess the home for other weaknesses, such as unstable windows or doors, or problems with the exterior material. Consider creating a stronger garage door by adding horizontal bracing plates to it. By ensuring that your home is as strong as possible, you can help minimize damage from impending storms.
To protect your windows, consider adding storm shutters. You will close these shutters before the storm hits to create a more secure shelter. This is an especially smart solution if you have older windows that aren’t made to withstand extreme weather conditions. Alternatively, consider the option of replacing your older windows with weather-safe options that include double-pane glass.
If you don’t have the time or money to complete significant fixes to your house, consider making temporary changes. For example, you could use aluminum flashing to cover problems in the roof so the storm doesn’t worsen them. Also, look for other solutions that are specially designed for getting through the potential dangers of a storm.
Preparing your home in advance can prevent costly damage and help your family stay safe during the Arizona monsoon season of June, July, August and September. Everyone, including pets, should stay inside during the storms and follow guidelines for staying safe once indoors.
