A surge of moisture that came up from Mexico late Monday night was the cause of yesterday's rain, causing water damage to some buildings and putting a damper on some campus events.
Pamela Elslager from the National Weather Service said the rainfall this year in Tucson is above the average city levels. The amount of rainfall for the monsoon season is also "above normal for this time of the season."
The amount of rainfall in the past two weeks has caused Facilities Management major problems, said Chris Kopach, Facilities Management associate director.
Kopach said the water has permeated multiple buildings through both roof leaks and flooding and the department has spent the last two weeks replacing drywall, carpet and paint in numerous buildings, including the Park Student Union and McKale Center.
Facilities Management was at McKale yesterday at 4 a.m. pumping out water that was surrounding the building.
Yesterday's rain also caused a roof leak in the Engineering building, where eight ceiling tiles were damaged. McClelland Hall also had a "leak-center" but was in the process of being repaired midday yesterday, Kopach said.
In addition to water damage, the rain also disrupted the Associated Students of the University of Arizona event "Senate on the Mall."
Senators were planning to have a table on the UA Mall Monday through today to give out drinks and survey students about their preferences of ASUA, but were told they could not set up yesterday because of the rain, said ASUA Sen. Matthew Boepple.
Assuming there is good weather, senators will be surveying students today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the Student Union Memorial Center and tomorrow near the fountain to the west of Old Main, Boepple said.
"We extended it through Thursday because we got rained out," Boepple said. "We're going to be out there for three days no matter what."
The rain was not a bummer for students like Laura Diebold, a photography freshman.
"I love it," Diebold said. "Any bit of wetness or coolness is nice."
Greg Beck, an East Asian studies senior, was not as excited about the rain because he was woken up by the thunder at "5:30 in the morning!"
"It's annoying," Beck said. "I needed to wear a jacket and use an umbrella. It's a grave inconvenience."
Elslager said students should know that rainfall is typical during the monsoon season, and that doesn't mean the storms necessarily just happen at night. The monsoon season will officially end Sept. 30.