Phoenix got below-average rainfall for the monsoon but that’s not the whole story

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — It will take some time for all the data to be analyzed, but it will point toward an above-average monsoon in terms of rainfall across much of Arizona. A majority of the rain gauges around the state have recorded more-than-average rainfall from June 15 through Sept. 30, the monsoon “season.”

But let’s start with Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. If you only look at those numbers, the monsoon was so-so. Sky Harbor, the so-called “official” rain gauge for Phoenix, picked up 2.23″ of rain. That comes up short of the “average” monsoon rainfall of 2.43 inches.

And in terms of overall rainfall for the year, the airport stats aren’t much better. We’ll likely end the year with below-average rainfall at Sky Harbor.

And when you take a look at the last 10 years, you see 2022 is the fourth year in a decade with below-average summer rain.

That’s not the whole story. In fact, there’s a big disconnect this year between Sky Harbor and most of the rest of the Valley. According to the Maricopa County Flood Control, most locations around metro Phoenix picked up more rain than average. Admittedly, it wasn’t as good as last year, but we’ll take it for sure. Here’s a sampling of some of the rainfall numbers around the Valley.

All around the state, the same trend is found. Here are some locations tracked by the Weather Service in northern, central and southern Arizona.

So turns out it was a pretty decent monsoon across the state, with many areas also seeing the short-term drought ease a bit. So now we’re heading into a fall and winter season where we expect the trend of recent winters to continue with below-average rain/snow and above-average temperatures.

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