It's a dry heat...

 

Until it isn't.  Rain yesterday and last night.  We got another 1/4" of rain here.  Some places in the Valley saw over an inch of rain last night on top of yesterday's rain.  Besides everything in the yard being wet - and things that could hold water were doing just that - the humidity was 78% this morning.

The weasels described it as "The air is thick."  Yeah, you could feel that when I took Murphy out for his first morning walk.  68º, which is refreshingly cool.  Normally.  It just felt clammy this morning.

There was flooding reported in parts of Phoenix this morning.  Many of the highways here are built lower than the surrounding terrain, with tall walls on either side to direct the traffic noise up and away from the adjacent neighborhoods.  If it sounds to you like I just described a man-made canal, you are correct (but no bonus points).  There are pumps installed in the low-lying parts of the roadway, designed to keep the road from flooding.  Inevitably, heavy rain will carry debris, that debris will clog the pumps, and the roadway will flood.

 That image is showing the overpass and lower roadway on the Loop 101, one exit before where I turn off to go to Mark's house.  Yep - clogged water pump.  With nowhere else to go, it can create a flash flood situation in no time.  It hasn't been an issue in our neighborhood, but we really haven't had a significantly heavy rainfall since we've lived here.  Yet.

The clouds are supposed to move on out by noon(ish) and things will quickly dry.  Joan won't have to water her plants for a couple days, though.

Life in the desert.  Where you frequently see signs that say: "Don't Drive Into Flooded Roadway."  

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Murphy update:

The boy got to go outside today, so he is happy.  Yes, we can tell when he is happy.  He was a bit listless yesterday when the rain kept him from getting out.

Joan weighed him yesterday.  He was less than 10 pounds when we first got him (estimated to be a year old), and is now 14.2 pounds.  Solid.  He gets regular exercise and a good diet; doesn't eat just to be eating.