Monsoon closes out with above-average rainfall total
Oct 1, 2012, 6:54 AM | Updated: 6:54 am
PHOENIX — The 2012 Arizona monsoon is officially in the books.
Mark O’Malley with the National Weather Service said the monsoon brought about three inches of rainfall to the Valley’s official rain gauge at Sky Harbor from June 15 through Sept. 30.
“That’s about one-third of an inch above the average monsoon. On the whole the metro area did fairly well with a large amount of storms and rainfall. Parts of the southeast Valley received twice as much rainfall as they normally do in the monsoon. Anthem received five inches of rainfall in just over an hour.”
The rainfall did not break the drought but it certainly put a dent in it.
“We’re now in some severe drought as opposed to extreme and exceptional drought that we’ve been in.”
O’Malley said the first two weeks of August were exceptionally hot with several days that tied or set new records with highs mostly above 110 degrees.
