Phoenix falls 1 day short of its record rainless streak

PHOENIX – After more than five dry months, Phoenix fell about 15 hours short of its record rainless streak.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service (NWS) uses for the city’s official readings, received measurable precipitation for the first time since Aug. 22, 2024, at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Phoenix Sky Harbor has now recorded 0.01", ending the dry streak at 159 days! #azwx pic.twitter.com/DdpPwdqwhe

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) January 29, 2025

The Valley has been seeing scattered showers all week. The West Valley has been the wettest area, with over 0.4 inches recorded in spots around Buckeye and Surprise since Monday.

However, only trace amounts (less than 0.01 inches) were detected at the airport until Wednesday, when the 159-day streak came to an end.

When did Phoenix have its longest rainless streak?

As a result, the mark of 160 days from December 1971-June 1972 will remain in the books as Phoenix’s longest rainless streak.

In all, Sky Harbor recorded trace amounts of rainfall nine times during what ended up as the city’s second-longest streak without measurable precipitation.

The record likely would have been shattered if Phoenix made it through Wednesday without rain.

“After today, there’s no rain in the forecast for at least seven days,” NWS meteorologist Katherine Berislavich told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday morning, a few hours before the streak ended.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

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