How Does Monsoon Impact Vineyards?

It is monsoon season again in Arizona wine country. Many people think the monsoon is a storm, but the storms are a result of monsoon activity. Monsoon is defined as a seasonal wind pattern change. In Arizona, most of the weather throughout the year just whizzes by leaving us dry and sunny weather. But in late summer, a high-pressure system sets up over the four corners region of the southwestern U.S. creating a wind flow that brings moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Gulf of California. When this moist air hits the summer heat, storms form.

These storms can be beneficial providing much needed rain, cloud cover, and a respite from the heat. They can also create hail, high winds, and excessive moisture that can cause bunch rot in the grapes making them of lower quality and sometimes unusable.

While we know that the Arizona monsoon will come knocking each year, the results are a wait and see prospect. Let’s hope for some nice rain, cool breezes, and no hail! LDV Winemaker explains how the monsoon impacts the vineyard in this brief video.