TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucsonans have noticed the explosion of bugs in our area, but a new ranking from Accuweather shows it could be among the worst in the country.
Thermacell -- a company that manufactures bug repellent devices -- created a "mosquito index" for Labor Day weekend based on weather patterns that favor mosquitos. The companies made a list of the 10 cities with weather most favorable for mosquito activity, and one city stood out among the rest:
- Tamp, Fla.
- Orlando, Fla.
- Miami, Fla.
- Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- Tallahassee, Fla.
- Columbus, Ga.
- Montgomery, Ala.
- Houston, Texas
- Birmingham, Ala.
- Tucson, Ariz.
Most of the cities on the list are likely quite familiar with mosquito activity this time of year, but Tucson's record-breaking monsoon rainfall and frequent flooding this summer have made for a ripe mosquito breeding ground. Any Tucsonan who's spent some time outside in the evenings over the last few weeks could tell you that.
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According to a news release from Thermacell, the company worked with "meteorologists, entomologists, and forecasting data from AccuWeather.com" to create the list.
"Key environmental factors for forecasting mosquito activity are precipitation and temperature," the news release says. "Rainfall and flooding stimulate the development of the eggs of many mosquito species. At the same time, warmer temperatures speed up the time it takes to become adults."
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The Tucson Airport has already recorded the third-most rainfall so far this monsoon, with more moisture expected. We've already doubled our average monsoon rainfall this year, according to data from the National Weather Service.
