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Heavy October Rain Hints At Possibly Wetter Winter in Arizona

October Rain
(Photo courtesy of Dawn Gilpin)
Rain made its way across the Valley Tuesday. Central Phoenix, where this photo was taken, received up to .75 inches of rain. The West Valley received up to 1.5 inches.

Heavy rains swept through the Valley Tuesday afternoon, leading to snarled roads and flooding. While the Central Valley received between .25 and .75 inches of rain, some areas in the West Valley reported up to 1.5 inches of rain.

For certain spots, that’s a good thing, said Daniel Henz. He’s a meterologist with the Flood District in Maricopa County, who said that parts of the West Valley received less rain than expected this year.

"Some places didn’t even get an inch over the entire length of the monsoon season," he said. "And so, when you can pick up a half inch to upwards of an inch, or maybe a little bit more just on one day, it kind of helps fill the gap for, you know, what they might have missed during the past monsoon season."

Henz said it’s notoriously hard to predict the amount of rain the Valley will see this winter, but this storm could be an indicator that we’re in for an above average season.

Stina Sieg was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2013 to 2018.