Don't let the recent rains fool you — monsoon season has yet to arrive in New Mexico. But it's coming, and it could be coming soon — bringing with it a plethora of hazards.

The official season lasts from June 15 through Sept. 30, and as part of an advance kickoff the National Weather Service and New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management have launched their first ever Monsoon Awareness Week through Friday.

It's not exactly event-packed, and there are no pony rides or shaped balloons, but to spread the word about the dangers of monsoon season, the agencies have added special information areas on the Web so the public can learn more.

"We're trying to increase awareness of hazards that can occur during the summer monsoons," said Jesse Haro, warning coordination meteorologist at the NWS in Albuquerque. "We want to make sure people stay safe out there."

The campaign focuses on five key danger areas associated with monsoons and monsoon season weather: lightning, flash floods, downburst winds, dry thunderstorms and heat stress.

Monsoons are thunderstorm patterns that occur when seasonal winds shift, bringing moisture from Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern Pacific into northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States.

"In Santa Fe, that moisture accounts for about 40 percent of the annual rainfall," Haro said.

The recent storms that have moved across New Mexico, on the other hand, are part of a different pattern pulling moisture from the Pacific Ocean that is not associated with monsoons, Haro said.

The annual monsoon thunderstorms almost always come with lightning, which is New Mexico's top weather-related killer. To stay safe, the service recommends going indoors if you hear thunder, and if you can't get indoors, stay away from tall trees and power poles and try to get to low ground, Haro said.

"Understand that if you can hear thunder, you're close enough to be hit by lightning," Haro said. "And be aware that the taller objects are most likely to be struck, and if it does, the strike goes down the object and into the ground, where it spreads out."

In an emergency, officials recommend rolling your body into a ball to minimize your height and balancing on your toes to minimize your exposure to a charge. You don't want to lie flat on the ground, because that can distribute a charge through your whole body.

The state's second most dangerous weather phenomenon is flash flooding, which also is a feature of monsoons, Haro said.

"The most common way people get hurt in flash floods is through use of automobiles," Haro said. "People will try to drive through a washed out road, but that's a bad idea."

Rapidly moving flash-flood water that's between a foot and a foot and a half deep can carry away most cars, and water that's 2 feet deep or deeper can carry away large SUVs and trucks, Haro warned.

Flash floods and another monsoon feature called downbursts are also the two top causes of weather-related property damage in the state, Haro said.

"In a downburst, there's a rush of rain and winds that come down from the clouds and spread out," Haro said. "With our summer thunderstorms, downburst winds are a risk with pretty much any storm."

A downburst can create winds of 100 mph and do damage similar to the that caused by a tornado, he added.

If you suspect a downburst is coming, seek shelter in a sturdy structure on the lowest floor, and stay away from windows, Haro said.

While they often bring short bursts of rain, monsoon weather can also sometimes create what forecasters call dry thunderstorms — a type of storm that includes lightning, gusty winds and little rain.

Those storms often create a fire hazard, which lightning hits and ignites dry vegetation in the area. Officials warn that the public should keep in touch with weather and emergency sites during dry thunderstorms and follow instructions if a fire is sparked.

The final hazard, which is more common in southern parts of the state and has little to do with storms, is the threat of heat stress.

Too much sun and heat can create cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, which can lead to serious complications or death.

"We want to warn people to make sure they drink enough water and to wear protective clothing, like hats, light-colored garments and things like that," Haro said. "If a person gets heat cramps or exhaustion, it's important to get them inside and into a cool place fast, and to have them drink a lot of water."

For more information on monsoon season hazards, visit tinyurl.com/nmmonsoons or follow the Monsoon Awareness Week link at the top of the page on weather.gov/abq.

Contact Sue Vorenberg at svorenberg@sfnewmexican.com.