Southwest portion of the United States is known for summer storms, also known as monsoon season. These storms usually start in July and continue into September. Monsoons bring rain, wind, dust, lightning, and thunder to the valley. Usually the valley stays hot and dry, but during monsoon season there is always the chance for rain and wind. It can be a welcome relief from the heat, and gives us a chance to turn of our air conditioners and enjoy the outside weather. Monsoon storms can be very destructive to your home. It is important that you take steps to minimize the potential damage to your home. One of the most important things you can do is recognize when a monsoon storm is approaching. Listed below are a few key signs that wind and possibly rain are headed your direction. · Thunderclouds on the horizon: Thunderclouds are giant clouds with a flat bottom and top. They are extremely tall and you can see them from a long distance away. Just because you can see the clouds does not necessarily mean that you are going to get hit with a storm, but it is something to keep an eye on. · See a wall of dust traveling in your direction: These walls of dust are also known as “haboobs”. The wind picks up the dust and it forms into a giant wall that travels across the valley. You cannot outrun it, and it makes visibility very difficult if you are caught in one. · Wind picks up: When the wind starts blowing harder than usual, it can point to a monsoon storm headed in your direction. The wind gusts can pick up plastic lawn chairs and throw them around without a problem in some cases. Many signs that a monsoon is coming, what is listed above is only a few of the signs. If a monsoon does hit, it can cause damage to your air conditioner or even make you need a new one. The dust that is blown around in these storms can get inside your air conditioner and clog it up and cause damage. The wind can blow loose tree branches, twigs, rocks, and many other lightweight objects into your air conditioner. These objects can also cause serious damage to your air conditioner. And if lightning were to hit your air conditioning unit, it would more than likely fry it with the amount of electricity running through it. Monsoon storms can cause a lot of damage to your air conditioning unit. AC unit is acting funny after a monsoon storm, it may be time for AC replacement. You should call a local air conditioning service company in Phoenix , Tempe, or Scottsdale. A technician will be more than happy to travel to your home and take a look at your AC unit. They will tell you what the best choices for you are to make sure that your air conditioning unit is running the best it can.