El Paso sits in the Chihuahuan Desert on the Texas-Mexico border and receives only around 230 mm (about 9 inches) of rain a year, one of the driest major U.S. cities, with most of it concentrated in the summer monsoon season from July through September. Because rain is so infrequent, the city’s desert washes (arroyos) can fill with startling speed during monsoon downpours, a genuine hazard for anyone caught in a normally-dry channel when a storm builds over the nearby mountains. Summer monsoon storms can develop quickly on hot afternoons. Because a typical week here involves no rain at all, radar becomes especially useful during the relatively brief monsoon season. NWS Doppler radar KEPZ (El Paso) covers the region.
Learn more: How Does Rain Radar Work? · Open the full Rain Map