Stormy night: Metro Phoenix gets first rain of 2024 monsoon season

PHOENIX – Metro Phoenix got its first taste of monsoon rain this season when storms rolled across the region Monday night.

The rainfall was accompanied in some areas by gusty winds, blowing dust and flashes of lightning.

Although Arizona’s monsoon season runs from June 15 to Sept. 30 each year, the Valley typically doesn’t get its first summer thunderstorm until early July.

“We’re ahead of the game,” Alex Young, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday. “We got monsoonal moisture that’s been in the area for a few days now, and we got our first activity across the Phoenix metro.”

How much rain fell in the Valley on Monday night?

Rainfall totals ranged from barely more than trace amounts to around three-quarters of an inch, with the heaviest activity in the high terrains north and west of Phoenix.

If you are curious to see how much rain fell across the Phoenix Metro area last night, here are the storm totals. The locations that faired best were far northern and western portions of the valley where up to 0.50"-0.75" of rainfall was recorded. #azwx pic.twitter.com/CW89juMcqK

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) June 25, 2024

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service uses for the city’s official readings, received 0.01 inches just after 11 p.m. It was the first measurable rain at the airport since May 16, and the second since April 1.

Storm snaps streak of lows above 90 degrees

In addition to ending Phoenix’s dry streak, Monday’s storms pushed the temperature below 90 degrees for the first time since Thursday morning.

The thermometer dipped to 89 just before midnight, breaking a three-day streak of daily records for warmest low temperature. The record-high low for June 24 remains 90 degrees.

Will Phoenix get more monsoon rain this week?

Monday’s top temperature in Phoenix was 112, 6 degrees above normal. Highs are expected to be around 110 degrees the rest of the week.

However, the chance for more rain decreases as the week progresses.

“So, best chances for thunderstorms are today,” Young said Tuesday morning. “But again, it’s not looking as good, especially since we had a lot of activity yesterday.

“Generally, I would say 15% or less across the metro today and then, advancing through Wednesday and Thursday, those chances dropping below 10%.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.

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