Summer is still shaping up to be one big non-soon, despite the massive monsoon storm that rolled through the Valley on Monday night.
Sean Benedict is a lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. He says the monsoon still happens but the season in the Valley has changed.
"It's a large regional impact. So it still develops every year and areas do still see active weather and above normal rainfall. It just seems like our area, in the lower deserts of South Central Arizona, yeah, we haven’t been seeing too much," Benedict said.
The last storm to affect most of the Phoenix area was on July 2, says Benedict, when Sky Harbor saw 0.16 inches of rain. He says that was also the rainfall total for the month of July.
Meanwhile, dust and high winds brought the airport to a halt at one point, but the storm didn’t bring much rain — at least to Sky Harbor.
"The thing is, a lot of these storms were continuously moving. You got those strong winds and a good push, so that can limit your rainfall totals. There still was very heavy rain around the area," Benedict said.
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Arizona labor groups are calling for state regulations to require specific protections from heat in workplaces. But actions from the state have so far fallen short of what workers have called for.
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As the Industrial Commission of Arizona considers workplace heat safety recommendations, some employers say they would welcome new heat rules, but others worry about overregulation.
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Arizona's outdoor workers endure extreme temperatures. But Arizona does not have any specific state regulations requiring their employers to provide them with water, shade or breaks from the heat.
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Heat kills more people annually than any other type of weather-related event and outdoor workers face higher risks for heat illness. What makes working in the heat so dangerous?
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Arizona has never had state regulations specifically to protect workers from heat. And as climate change drives more intense heat waves, heat-related worker deaths in Arizona appear to be increasing at a faster rate.