Hit 12 inches of annual rainfall and suddenly my adobe walls looked different

Hannah West · 2026-06-07T00:30:03.955328+00:00

I track precipitation at my place near Tucson and crossed 12 inches last week. That's way above the 8 inch average for this area. My exterior plaster started showing these thin cracks along the south wall and I'm wondering if it's from the extra moisture or just normal settling. The old timers here say adobe needs dry cycles but this year was anything but dry. Anyone else dealing with unexpected weather shifts throwing off their desert home plans?

pat_murray533mo ago

...and the thing with adobe is that water soaking in and then drying fast can cause more damage than just steady rain. Was that south wall getting hit with direct afternoon sun after the rain stopped? That drying cycle pulling moisture out too fast will make the surface shrink and crack every time.

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jana7693mo ago

Man that's rough, hope the south wall holds up okay for you.

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flores.emma3mo ago

Yeah coating the south wall with lime wash helped slow down that cracking for me.

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