Arizona weather: See monsoon flooding in Phoenix, Flagstaff
Each year, Arizona residents navigate around flooded roadways and rivers as monsoon storms drop heavy rain in the state.
Metro Phoenix is just two days shy of breaking its record for the longest dry streak, but meteorologists say rain could arrive just in time to prevent it.
Some light showers made an appearance Monday morning in the western and northern parts of the Phoenix metro area, bringing some relief. However, meteorologist Ryan Worley with the National Weather Service in Phoenix said no rain has been measured at Phoenix Sky Habor Airport, prolonging the dry spell.
Still, Worley said rain chances were expected to continue through most of the week, potentially breaking the streak before it breaks the record. Here’s what to know.
When was the last time it rained in Phoenix?
As of Monday, Jan. 27, it had been 158 days since it last rained at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport — the second-longest stretch without rain on record.
The record for the longest dry spell in Phoenix was set in 1972 at 160 days.
When will it rain in Phoenix?
The better chances to see rain are forecast for Wednesday at 40-50%, Worley said. If rain doesn’t fall on Sky Harbor on that day, Phoenix would tie the record for the longest dry streak.
“A couple rounds of rain are possible over the next couple days, we’ll just hopefully see some rain at Sky Habor so we can break the dry streak,” he said.
The weather system promising to bring some rain was also expected to bring cooler-than-normal temperatures through the middle of the week, followed by a big shift in the weather pattern expected to settle in by the weekend.
High temperatures were expected to be in the lower 60s and upper 50s for the outline areas through Wednesday, Worley said. After that, the Valley was expected to dry out and warm up, with high temperatures potentially reaching the lower 80s by the end of the weekend.
“It’s gonna be a pretty big swing in terms of what we see over the next week or so, going from cooler-than-normal to well-above-normal,” he said. “We should see some quiet weather after that.”
Why has it been so warm and dry in Arizona?
While parts of Arizona are typically warmer and drier than most of the country, this past fall and the current winter seasons are unusual. Meteorologists attribute the trend to atmospheric conditions preventing wintery weather.
While a high-pressure system is the primary culprit for a mild winter so far, La Niña could be playing a role. Meteorologists have issued a La Niña watch due to cooler oceanic temperatures in the Pacific, which tends to produce warmer and drier conditions across the Southwest.
Arizona Republic reporter Hayleigh Evans contributed to this article.
