Days on Market (DOM)

The total number of days a property sits on the active market. The count starts when the listing goes live and stops when an offer is accepted.

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add onion, garlic, chorizo, and bay leaves, then sauté over gentle heat for 5 minutes or until softened but not browned.
2. Stir in the pine nuts and chickpeas with their liquid. Heat until the flavors are combined.
3. Sprinkle with pepper and chopped tomato and serve hot, warm, or cool but never chilled.

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2026 Monsoon Outlook

Defined by moisture from the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean and a steady shift in wind that brings the moisture to the Sonoran Desert, the season brings thunderstorms (often in the afternoon), lightning, flash floods, world-famous haboobs that look like the end of the world is slowly moving across Arizona, and high sometimes destructive winds that are frequently downbursts. The 2026 monsoon season has been predicted by forecasters to be an active one, with precipitation expected to be higher than normal.

Safety During a Monsoon

If you’re driving and end up in a dust storm or heavy downpour, pull aside safely and wait it out. Usually, within 5-15 minutes, the absolute onslaught will pass, and when you pull back into traffic, you’ll be able to see the road and surrounding traffic much easier. Remember to never drive through washes covered in water – the mantra to remember is “turn around, don’t drown”. And also, if you practice that mantra, you won’t need rescuers to save you while your car gets waterlogged and perhaps floats away down the road without you!

Not only are Arizona’s high temperatures dangerous while outside during monsoon season, but sudden and rapid lightning strikes are as well. Dust storms, or at least a noticeable kick-up in the wind, usually signal a monsoon is coming. Your keen senses alerting you to the possibility of a thunder and lightning storm should lead to wrapping up your outdoor activities as soon as possible and securing anything loose in the yard or on the patio. Many a cushion, pool toy, and patio umbrella have been carried away to different neighborhoods by strong winds.

Be sure to monitor up-to-date forecasts and any weather alerts during monsoon season. A weather app on your mobile device can alert you to imminent dust storms, high wind, heavy rain, and lightning strikes. Also, if you’re still outside and hear thunder, it’s possible that a lightning strike isn’t far behind.

Lightning Facts and Safety

Unfortunately, many injuries and fatalities related to lightning occur simply because the victims thought they had more time before any lightning would become a factor or thought they were a safe enough distance away from it. Did you know that it can strike from 15 miles away? Most people don’t, but it’s a good reason to get inside to safety during the windy, warning phase of the ramp up to a full-on monsoon lightshow.

Right before a storm hits and as it moves away tends to be the most dangerous times, not during the actual storm like most people think. Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes hit across America about 25 million times per year.

There are approximately 51 lightning fatalities each year in America, a drop of almost half since Lightning Safety Awareness Week was established in 2001. A lightning strike isn’t always fatal though… it’s only deadly for about 10% of the people it happens to. That doesn’t mean there are no consequences for the other 90% - they usually suffer differing degrees of disability at worse and discomfort at best, and either could continue for the rest of their lives. The majority of victims of lightning strikes are male.

Arizona’s distinctive geography makes it a favorite area for lightning-seeking photography buffs. Our 10,000 feet high cloud bases combined with much lower ground elevation and dry, clear atmosphere means a lightning bolt can flash and zigzag for miles and miles with almost all of it visible. What a stunning picture it makes! Tucson is considered a prime spot for photographers to catch lightning “on film”.

By July 9^th of each year, Phoenix has usually seen its 100^th lightning bolt of the season, but it’s happened as early as June 20^th and as late as August 8^th. We don’t need rain to see lightning around here, which is a phenomenon known as dry lightning. Have you referred to a flash of light in the hot night sky as “heat lightning”? Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s really just a distant lightning bolt far enough away that you don’t hear the thunder that went along with it. There is definitely heat with lightning though, as one single lightning bolt can heat the immediately surrounding air up to 5 times hotter than the sun’s surface.

The Formula to Remember

Once you’re safely inside, if you’re curious about how far away the lightning is, there’s a simple formula to roughly calculate the distance from you. Light travels much faster than sound, so as soon as you see the lightning flash, start counting, and stop when you hear the thunder. Take that number and divide it by 5, and that’s the approximate number of miles away the lightning struck.

If you like to take videos of our monsoons, this formula can be quite useful to make sure you’re rolling when the lightning next hits. Just be sure to document the storm from a position of respect for its power and safety, then upload your monsoon video to social media so those who don’t live in Arizona can “ooo” and “aah” at our beautiful lightshow that premieres every June and has a limited engagement. No theater tickets required!

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The Selling Sisters Estate Sale Experts specializes in estate sales, moving, downsizing & probate. Kris and Martha have over 21 years of estate sales expertise, which ensures that you receive a plan tailored for your estate settlement, the best prices possible for your belongings, and marketing through social media, promotion, and professional estate sale websites.

There are no upfront costs, and the sisters offer free consultation. Visit them online, or call either Kris (480.298.3286) or Martha (480.582.8085) directly.