Recorded 10/01/2026, Aired 10/02/2026

In this special edition of the Southwest Climate Podcast, we have a two-fer: 2026 Monsoon Recap and guest Glenn Lader NWS. After going out with a bang with a fetch of East Pacific moisture from Hurricane Polo earlier this week, hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins put a bow on the official end of the 2026 Monsoon. At the 55:00 minute mark they bring in Glenn Lader, Lead Meteorologist at the National Weather Service Tucson office, to talk about their operations over this past monsoon. Hear about how monsoon forecasting happens and how they work with partners to mitigate its impacts in the region. Next month’s episode will be focused on the strong El Niño that has been all in the news.

Mentions:

Southwest U.S. Summer Monsoon Season Precipitation Mapping

Southwest U.S. Station Climate Summaries

Experimental: North American Monsoon Tracker

Colorado State University - Hurricane Seasonal Forecasting

NWS Tucson - Monsoon Tracker

NOAA NWS - Storm Prediction Center

NOAA NWS - Weather Prediction Center

Recorded 07/10/2026, Aired 07/14/2026

In this month’s Southwest Climate Podcast, hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins say ‘get ready’ for an interesting monsoon. Although the onset has had a sluggish start, the weekend into this week shows promise for a more active pattern in July. They review the precipitation event that happened at the start of the monsoon on 6/15 as well as the characteristics thus far. Also discussed is the strong El Niño taking shape and its influence in the region. Expectations are leaning toward a more optimistic yet not normal monsoon.

Mentions:

NWS-Tucson: Monsoon Tracker

Southwest U.S. Summer Monsoon Season Precipitation Mapping

CyclonicWx: Model Run - 500mb Height Anomaly - July 2026

Pivotal Weather: Model Run - Precipital Water

Southwest U.S. Station Climate Summaries

NOAA NWS Climate Prediction Center: Outlooks

Recorded 08/13/2026, Aired 08/14/2026

Hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins get out their mood rings in this month’s Southwest Climate Podcast to share their frustration and disappointment in the monsoon so far. They do a deep dive into the characteristics of the monsoon including: the late onset, spatial pattern and population density bias (at least in sentiment). Will the east Pacific fire up a few tropical systems as far as where the monsoon goes from here? They save time at the end on the bananas El Niño which is unprecedented already and is sure to bring an interesting fall to winter seasonal pattern.

Mentions:

RainLog

UA WRF Weather Forecast Discussions

University of Arizona's Weather Research and Forecasting Model (UA WRF)

Southwest U.S. Summer Monsoon Season Precipitation Mapping

Tucson.com "Did global helium crisis ground Tucson weather balloon flights?"

Southwest Monsoon Fantasy Forecasts

NOAA Climate Prediction Center - RONI

The Climate Brink - ENSO Dashboard

Dr. Daniel Swain's Weather West channel

Super El Niño Drives an August Weather Shift as Fall and Winter Signals Strengthen

ECMWF Seasonal Forecast