The Agua Fria River is Not a Dry Riverbed

If you live in a dry area or have in the past you will understand the significance of a dry riverbed actually flowing with water. That is what is taking place in the Phoenix, Arizona area with the Agua Fria River. (Agua Fria is Spanish for cold water.) The Agua Fria River is usually a dry riverbed where we live near Phoenix, but lately has become a true river with water flowing down its banks towards Lake Pleasant. The Agua Fria River only flows near Phoenix every 5 years or so.

Phoenix has been experiencing strange weather this winter. With the abundance of rain we have received, that water naturally has to go somewhere. All that rain has been gathering in large puddles that look like small lakes. Parking lots, fields, and streets, all have become places for the water to settle. I was commenting today that the weather we are experiencing seems more like Oregon weather.

For me it is very awesome to see the Agua Fria River actually flowing. I have on lived in the Phoenix area a short time but it still is a curious sight to see water in a normally dry riverbed. I live very close to the Agua Fria River and drive over it everyday, so when I saw the actual river, I had to go and take pictures just because it was so different.

Phoenix, Arizona also experiences wet weather in the summer months. When I first moved to the Phoenix area I had the misconception that summers were dry. This is not true. In fact the summer season also is the monsoon season. The heat from the desert valley pulls moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico and causes monsoons that bring thunderstorms, high winds, lots of rain and humidity. The humidity is the hardest to deal with in the summer months because it is so hot to begin with and even a little humidity such as 20% can be very oppressive. The monsoon season typically encompasses the months of June, July and August. My Family and I have made a personal commitment to leave the Phoenix area if possible during the summer, because of the humidity more than the heat. There is definitely truth about a dry heat being more tolerable than a humid heat.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agua_Fria_River