What a difference a year can make! If you remember back to just last year, Phoenix Sky Harbor measured 5.35" of rain in October. This total smashed the October rainfall record, with the old record being 4.40" in 1972. On the other hand, this year, Phoenix measured nothing.

So how rare is this? The short answer: it's not. Out of 124 years, Phoenix has recorded no measurable rain in October 26 times (21% of years). The average rainfall total for October is 0.59", which is the 4th driest month.

As of October 31, 2019, Phoenix has officially recorded 3.68" of rain for the year, which is 2.82" below average for this time of year. As can be seen, we certainly need rain; however, the latest trends are looking dry for at least the first half of November.