Storm Drenches El Paso

The El Paso region's monsoon season is in full force, and that's just fine with Cornelio Espinoza, a lawn maintenance specialist of 10 years.

"Business has really picked up, thanks to the moisture, and all the rain showers we've had," said Espinoza, who works for A&M Lawn & Tree Service. "We must be up 10 to 15 percent over last year, when the combination of little rainfall and watering restrictions caused a drop in requests for lawn maintenance.

"Because of the rain, we've been very busy cutting grass, trimming bushes and cleaning landscaped yards," he said. "Of course, last year was dry, and that caused many people to switch to desert plants and rock landscaping. Still, where we had been cutting grass every two weeks, we are now being called to homes every week."

By Wednesday, El Paso had measured nearly 6 inches of rainfall so far this year, compared with 4.58 inches normally. Showers doused several parts of the county around rush hour Wednesday, as they have off and on the past couple of weeks.

Albert Ortiz, an elementary school teacher and weather spotter for the National Weather Service, said recent rains have kept him and other volunteer spotters busier than in past years.

"With all the rain, we've been able to take some rain measurements to send to the National Weather Service," Ortiz said. "I cover an area that is between Beaumont Army Medical Center and Austin High School, but I also get other (rain) reports from ham radio operators."

Joe Rogash, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said El Pasoans are finally getting a monsoon season they can feel.

"Last year, we actually considered it a year without a monsoon, but this year we've been getting more rainfall compared to last year, although not all of it has come from the monsoon."

The Target store in West El Paso isn't selling any more rain gear, including umbrellas, rain boots, ponchos and raincoats, than usual.

"People didn't expect for it to keep raining. That's the main reason," said Stephen Flores, a Target department manager. "We've got our rain boots on clearance."

El Paso International Airport is the official recording site for the National Weather Service, but sometimes heavy rainfall or stronger winds occur in other parts of the region, and designated spotters help the weather service by reporting the action.

John Fausett, a warning coordinator meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said some people mistakenly equate the monsoon with thunderstorms. He acknowledges that some people laugh when the weather service speaks about a monsoon, which in this desert region does not exactly compare to the bamboo-battering monsoon variety of Southwest Asia.

"The monsoon is actually a shift in the wind that brings moisture from the south and southeast in the summer months," Fausett said. "It's a pattern that can bring the rain. And it comes when Mexico gets its monsoon season.

"Some of the rain we've had this summer was the result of back-door cold fronts from the north or northeast, and for reasons other than the monsoon, but hey, in this desert of ours we'll take whatever we can get."

According to a Journal of Climate article on the National Weather Service Web page, "The term 'Mexican Monsoon' is used because of similarities to the better known Southwest Asian Monsoon."

Like much of the rest of the Southwest, El Paso has been in a drought for several years, and that is why the annual rainfall has been below the 8.5 inches that is normal for the area, meteorologists said. The typical monsoon period lasts from July to September.

Due to the suddenness of electrical storms, weather specialists recommend that people stay indoors when possible and to avoid bathing or using the telephone when there is lightning.

El Pasoan Juan Aguilar says he's managed to dodge the recent sudden and unexpected cloudbursts in the central part of the city "without too many problems. But my wife, who maintains yards at several homes, has kept extra busy because of the rains. We took care of our own lawn maintenance once and for all by replacing the grass in the yard with cement."

Storms have also kept El Paso roofers busy, patching leaks and replacing entire roofs. "I've got 20 calls pending from customers who want me to check or fix their roofs, and I'm doing my best to try to get to all of them," said Rene Escandon, co-owner of Escandon Roofing. "I wish we could stay this busy all the time."

The extra moisture can have its downside. Mosquitoes and other pesky critters thrive on it. On Wednesday, the El Paso health district announced that more mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been found in El Paso County. More details on the finding were promised for this morning.