Streak over: Light rainfall ends 3-month Phoenix-area dry spell

A party may be overkill, but it has finally rained in metro Phoenix, ending a three-monthlong dry spell.

816am: Radar loop showing most shower activity on the lower deserts near and west of AZ/CA border. #azwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/bqvJw0QYnY

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) April 8, 2016

Rain began falling Thursday night and when the amount reached 0.01 inches at Sky Harbor Airport, the National Weather Service couldn’t have been happier.

1136p: Rain! Just measured 0.01" of precip at @PHXSkyHarbor, ending our rain-free streak at 66 days. (Feb 1-Apr 6) #azwx

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) April 8, 2016

The weather pattern called La Nina has put a damper, so to speak, on previous predictions of a rainy winter in the area.

After storms in January brought by El Nino, the Valley was, well, a desert, until the pitter-patter of little drops that carried into early Friday morning.

The most rain in the Valley over a 12-hour period dropped at the Deer Valley Airport. Just before 4 a.m. Friday 0.53 inches had been recorded.

The Salt River at Priest Drive collected 0.47 inches, as did parts of Cave Creek and Paradise Valley.

Love the droplets of rain water from overnight still clinging to my our rose bush. #azwx pic.twitter.com/7owHXPbmOf

— Mike Olbinski (@MikeOlbinski) April 8, 2016

In Avondale, some residents even saw pounding hail.

#hail in #Avondale @abc15 @KTAR923 @FOX10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/GsSC2AjYng

— Jordan Isaac (@jisaac41) April 8, 2016

Outside of Phoenix, the Flagstaff area had showers and would see a little more all through the day.

Forecasts earlier in the week had pinpointed incoming rain.

A map at the Flood Control District of Maricopa County website showed one-day totals all the way down to 10-minute marks.

With the rain came cooler weather. The lows will drop to mid-50s for Sunday and Monday.

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