There is some excellent news when it comes to drought across Arizona: it's improving!
The latest drought monitor update shows 50.54 percent of the state is not in any drought classification. Another 22.84 percent of the state is "Abnormally Dry," which indicates an area that is experiencing dry conditions but is not yet in drought.
With that said, moderate to severe drought still exists in the north/northeast portion of the state, and the National Drought Mitigation Center explains, " In the Four Corners states, the map depiction strives to balance the effect of the recent precipitation with the failure of the monsoon."
This "balance" can be seen looking at the departure from average rainfall graph for Phoenix Sky Harbor (below). From June 15th through September 30th (the monsoon), Phoenix only recorded 0.66 inches of rain, making it the 5th driest on record. At the start of the season (June 15th), the Valley was only 0.19 inches below average for the year, and by the end (September 30th), the gauge was 2.24 inches below average.
The dry weather continued through October before a major storm system moved through the state November 19th - 21st, with a storm total in Phoenix of 0.84 inches. Another strong storm moved through the region on November 28th and 29th, with another 0.71 inches falling at the airport.
While this Fall rain has helped and drought conditions are improving, Phoenix is still sitting 2.26 inches below average for the year when it comes to rain.
Fingers crossed for a wet end to 2019 (there's a chance)!
At around 4:30 am on Tuesday, Jan 21st, the first measurable rain of 2020 fell at Phoenix Sky Harbor! Phoenix measured 0.19 inches of rain for the day, which also happens to be the yearly total.