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TUCSON - Several major rain events so far this Monsoon have led to some pretty impressive totals across the Tucson area.

Although rainfall rates have varied metro wide most Tucsonans have experienced a very active Monsoon start. Officially at Tucson International Airport 4.47" has been recorded making it the 13th wettest Monsoon through the start of August. Most locations across the city have seen between 2.5" and 8" on the summer rainy season with Oro Valley being on the high end of that range.

The wettest Monsoon through July was back in 1981 recording 6.33". However, if Tucson's official weather station was in Oro Valley there would be a new Monsoon record this year. From June 15 through July 31 Oro Valley has seen nearly 7" of rain and that has some residents very impressed.

Oro Valley resident Bob Joy's rain gage has recorded over 6" of rain during the month of July alone, before that the bucket was nearly dry. Joy explains, "We're just so amazed how quickly it changed from such a dry beginning of the year to such a wet July."

The summer rain has been a welcomed sight to most but some have still been caught off guard. Northwest Fire Department has responded to nearly a dozen swift water rescues this season alone. The Climate Prediction Center has released their August outlook and all signs point to another above average rainfall month. With an active Monsoon expected to continue remember never to cross those flooded roadways because as little as one foot of water can float a vehicle.