JULY 2026
GVREC.ORG
Super El Niño + Monsoon Season = Unknown Conditions Ahead While disruption knows no season, the monsoons of southern Arizona can really knock routines out of whack. If this is your first summer in Green Valley, you will soon find that it can rain on one side of your house and not the other. Keeping the possibility of localized conditions in mind will help members find open pools and centers through the weeks to come. The Arizona monsoon officially starts June 15 and ends September 30. A typical monsoon season brings heavy rains, gusty winds, and lots of lightning. Heavy rain can overwhelm drainage structures, flooding roads, paths, and buildings. Microbursts can tear roofing off buildings, uproot trees, and throw outdoor furniture around. Haboobs—large, intense sandstorms—can ruin your poolside afternoon and bring traffic to a standstill. This year, with a strong El Niño predicted, GVR is preparing for all that and more. When lightning approaches closer than five miles from any GVR center, all GVR pools and pool decks are evacuated and closed until thirty minutes after the last local lightning strike. Please don’t wait for the staff to provide direction in these circumstances. The National Weather Service says, “When thunder roars, go indoors!” In typical years, most lightning storms start in the mid to late afternoon. Scheduling your swim time for earlier in the day can be helpful.
With the rains come the critters. Beetles can hatch out in enormous numbers. Lizards, snakes, and toads can be alarming, but for the most part, they pose no real threat to you if you don’t threaten them. Bats like to sip from the pools on the fly, causing concern among evening swimmers, but remember, they are eating the mosquitoes you don’t want to encounter when you climb out of the water. Bees and wasps are a different story, and staff do their best to locate and remove nests and attractants as soon as they are identified. So how does a person navigate all this and get to the pool, gym, court, or mahjongg table? First, assume that some modification to your usual plan will be needed. Then, if all goes smoothly, you can enjoy a pleasant surprise! Before you head out, check the GVR website at GVRec.org. At the top of the homepage, select News and Info, then Closures for up-to-date information on pool and center status. To keep the information one click away on your phone, you can also download the GVR app via Apple App Store or the Android Play Store. If it is raining heavily, consider the possibility that a wash or two along your route will be running and think about
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