A. Platelets are the tiny blood cells that help stop bleeding by binding together to form a clump or plug at sites of injury inside blood vessels. A normal platelet count is between 150,000 and 450,000 platelets per microliter (one-millionth of a liter, abbreviated mcL). The average platelet count is 237,000 per mcL in men and 266,000 per mcL in women.
The monsoon season begins on June 15 and ends on September 30, but the storms peak between mid-July and mid-August. On average, about half of Arizona receives about half of its annual rainfall during the monsoon. However, rainfall can vary tremendously between distances of just a few miles.
A unique feature of Arizona climate is the two periods of precipitation; one season is from December through March and the other during July, August and September. The proportion of winter precipitation decreases from west to east and the summer precipitation decreases from south to north (Plate 6).