This year’s monsoon season was mild in terms of rainfall. But it was one of the most damaging over the past decade.
The National Weather Service says metro Phoenix only received 3.6 inches from June to September — compared to 5.9 inches the previous year.
But Salt River Project has another way of measuring the force of the annual monsoon: the number of electric distribution poles it has to replace. The utility had to replace 238 this monsoon season. That’s the highest number — by far — in records dating back to 2015.
SRP has a rating system for storms, with Level 1 being the most dangerous for potential damage.
The utility says despite the relatively dry summer, there were still six Level 1 storms this year.
