Measure Your Monsoon Mastery

Do not attempt to get out of the vehicle — your body could become the pathway for electricity to reach the ground, causing severe bodily harm and possible electrocution. If the car catches on fire and you must exit it, then jump out without touching the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Shuffle away with very small steps. Don't try to help others out of the vehicle — you could be shocked.

This cactus leads a Cinderella-like existence, hiding in the shadows of trees and bushes most of the year, appearing to be a cluster of dead sticks. Usually on just one night, however, huge white flowers appear, filling the night air with their distinctive aroma. Tohono Chul Park has the largest private collection of Peniocereus greggii in the United States.

Lack of supervision was the most commonly identified preventable factor in Arizona's child drownings. If you find a child in trouble in a pool, then yell for help and immediately get the child out of the water. Call 911 immediately for assistance. Begin CPR, if you're trained to give it. If not, then follow the directions from the 911 dispatcher until help arrives.

Dust devils typically occur on a clear, sunny day in the desert. When the sun has heated the air close to the ground, that hot pocket of air will rise quickly through the cooler air above it. This rapid rise might cause the hot air to rotate, and it will continue to spin as it's pulled upward. A tornado is a violent, swirling mass of air that must be in contact with the ground and a cloud base. It can form anywhere, any time.

Did you know that dust storms are second to flash floods in the number of thunderstorm-related deaths they produce? According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, seven people died and 90 were injured in 129 crashes caused by blowing dust in Arizona in 2010. Don't underestimate how dangerous a dust storm can be! They can strike with little warning.

Electric fans might provide comfort but will not cool the body or prevent heat-related illness. To keep kids cool, try to limit outdoor play to the early morning or late afternoon hours, when the sun isn't directly overhead. And, load up on the sunscreen. Keep kids hydrated with beverages that don't contain caffeine or large amounts of sugar, which can cause cramps. Never leave infants or children inside a parked vehicle.

It's completely possible or a car to float in as little as 10 inches of water. Make that less than 2 feet for an SUV to float. Here's how it happens: The pressure of the running water is so great that it trumps the weight of the vehicle, making it buoyant. When the automobile begins to float, the water's force can easily carry it off a bridge and into a nearby wash.

Most cars are reasonably safe from lightning, but it's the metal roof an side of the vehicle that protect you, not the rubber tires. So, convertibles, motorcycles, bicycles, open-shelled recreational vehicles and cars with plastic or fiberglass shells offer no lightning protection. Closed compartments with a metal roof and sides are safer than being outside.

Monsoon is not a singular thunderstorm or multiple thunderstorms. From the Arabic word "mausism," monsoon means season. It is the annual weather pattern that causes a shift in wind direction, bringing moisture to our region.

In the past, this season was ushered in based on the dew-point data: Have three days in a row at average dew point of 54 degrees or higher? Well, then monsoon started on the first of those three days. In 2008, however, the National Weather Service declared June 15 through September 30 as the monsoon in Arizona and New Mexico.

The state averages at least 4 reported tornadoes each year. The extremely low population density — 45.2 people per square mile — of much of Arizona has likely resulted in many hazardous weather events not being reported, especially those occurring away from population centers. All three Arizona fatalities from tornadoes since 1950 have been in Pima County.

Extreme heat kills more people than any other weather hazard in Arizona. According to the National Weather Service, four fatalities due to weather were recorded in the state in 2010, and heat was directly linked to two of them. From 1992 to 2009, the Arizona Department of Health Services recorded 1,485 heat-related deaths — Pima County led all counties with 624 of those.

The 1964 monsoon set several daily rainfall records in addition to the wettest monsoon to date. Conversely, the 1934 monsoon was the driest, with just 1.59 inches of rain. National Weather Service Tucson Office's JJ Brost says remnant moisture from Tropical Storm Natalie and ideal weather conditions were two reasons the 1964 monsoon produced so much rain.

Although rarely imposed, Section 28-910 of the Arizona Revised Statutes states a person convicted of driving through a flooded and/or barricaded road may be "liable for expenses of any emergency response that is required to remove from the area the driver of any passenger in the vehicle that becomes inoperable in the area." So, never drive into a flooded road!