Phoenix surpasses normal monsoon season rainfall total with late surge

After two stormy days, Phoenix ended up surpassing its normal monsoon rainfall total with a late-season surge.

In fact, Tuesday was the wettest day in almost a year at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service uses for the city’s official readings.

By the time morning thunderstorms cleared, the airport had received 0.47 inches of rain. The last time the official Phoenix gauge had a higher reading was Oct. 12, 2025, when 1.97 inches poured down.

The airport was far from the wettest part of the Valley on Tuesday morning. The total in the Anthem area exceeded 1.3 inches, Ryan Worley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

“The north and western portions of the Valley have seen the most rain so far. We’ve seen anywhere from maybe a couple tenths to upwards of even an inch or more in some spots,” Worley said.

Arizona’s monsoon season ends Wednesday

If no more rain falls at the airport before Wednesday, which is the last day of Arizona’s monsoon season, 2026 will go down in the record books as a typical monsoon year in Phoenix.

Phoenix entered the week with 1.84 inches of rain since the season started June 15. But 0.17 inches came down Monday. Adding that to Tuesday’s downpour put the season total at 2.48 inches, a half-inch more than the normal amount of 2.43 inches.

Is there more rain in the forecast?

Tuesday morning’s storms had largely moved out of the region by 10 a.m., but more showers are not out of the question.

“Most of it is pushed off to the east of the metro, but we might see a couple of pop-up showers and storms this afternoon,” Worley said. “Now, it’s a very lower-end chance, so can’t say for sure. … But you might be dodging some more rain later today.”

Most of the state is under a flood watch until 9 p.m. Looking further ahead, the forecast calls for mostly clear skies for the rest of the week and into the weekend.

“It looks like we’ll be staying actually cooler than normal for the next couple of days,” Worley said. “Might only see highs in the 80s through about Thursday. … But then, by the weekend, we’ll start to push those temperatures back toward normal, maybe reaching the lower to mid-90s by then.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s John Roller contributed to this report.

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