![]() ![]() ![]() This helped improve the ecological and agricultural drought in the state,” Saffell said in an email. ![]() “Meteorological drought (which is just evaluating precipitation) improved because we received much more rain than we normally receive in the summer. Phoenix had gone down to "D1", moderate drought. By September 15, some of the same areas had dropped to "D0," merely abnormally dry. According to the National Drought Monitor, heavy precipitation mitigated drought throughout the region.Īt the start of the monsoon, the monitor categorized most of Arizona as "D4", meaning extreme drought. The monsoon helped with the former, a much shorter-term event that allows plants to flourish but does little to recharge aquifers. "Hydrologic drought is where we're dealing with water in our reservoirs and our channels," Saffell said. And so that's where you're looking at plants, vegetation, those kinds of things."Īnd then there is hydrologic drought. "We have agricultural and ecosystem types of drought. "When we look at the different types of drought, we're trying to look at what's being impacted," Saffell said. The monsoon did little to quell widespread drought conditions that have persisted for the better part of two decades, according to Erinanne Saffell, the Arizona State Climatologist at Arizona State University. Tucson soaked up almost 12.5 inches as of late September, according to the weather service, making the season the third-wettest monsoon on record for the city since instrumental records began in the late 1800s.Īs of August, Tucson had received more rain than the annual average over the last 30 years of about 10 inches. July was was the wettest month on record for the city, with just over 8 inches in one month. So it's raining less frequently, but when it does rain, it tends to rain heavier." Some research does support that the frequency decreases over time, less rainfall events. "And then if we look at the long-term trends, there's not really any long-term trend signal. Last year doesn't necessarily predict the next year very well, if at all," says Paul Iñiguez, the science and operations officer at the National Weather Service office in Phoenix. "There's a lot of variability from year to year. One data map he produced shows parts of central Arizona receiving up to 400% of average precipitation.īut was the whiplash-like switch from last year’s drier monsoon to this one a result of climate change? According to most climate experts, the verdict is still out. Some areas of Arizona were walloped with 2-4 times more precipitation this season than they see in an average year, Crimmins said. The storms hit almost every system you can think of, from remote wilderness areas to suburban backyards, resulting in floods, recharged reservoirs and explosive bug populations. Since June 15, the official start of the monsoon season, 4.2 inches of rain have fallen at Sky Harbor International Airport. "And so I think there's an awareness of it that is, per capita, bigger than a lot of other monsoons."īy the end of August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ranked this monsoon as the seventh-wettest season in the state since 1901. "This particular monsoon hit Tucson and Phoenix really hard, which is where most of the people live in the state," said Michael Crimmins, a climate science researcher and extension specialist at the University of Arizona. Multiple streets in flood-prone areas were closed.Watch Video: Monsoon pounds Southwest, but won’t end droughtĪrizona's 2021 monsoon will end this week as one for the record books, but which records and which books could vary depending on where you live. #azwxĬrews worked to restore power and clean up debris. Highly doubtful we'll reach the July record of 6.47" (1911). This makes July 2021 the 19th wettest July on record in Phoenix (since 1896) w/ still a week to go in the month. Since midnight, Phoenix has clicked off another 0.14" of rain putting the July total at 1.52". putting the July total at 1.5 inches, making it the 19th wettest July on record in Phoenix since 1896, according to NWS Phoenix. On Saturday, Phoenix added another 0.14 inches of rain by 6 a.m. Potential for heavy rain and flash flooding continues through tomorrow. So far today 65% of the Phoenix area has seen some rain, with an average of about 0.1". More hard rain expected to hammer Phoenix area heading into weekendĪt least half of Phoenix saw rain on Saturday, with more chances of flash flooding and storms continuing through Sunday. ![]()
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