Just 0.01 of an inch of rain fell at Sky Harbor International Airport on Wednesday morning, but that was enough to end one of the longest dry streaks in Phoenix history.
Before Wednesday’s drizzle, Sky Harbor hadn’t had any measurable precipitation since Aug. 22 – that’s 159 straight days of dry conditions.
“That is one day short of the all-time record of 160 days,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Isaac Smith.
The period from late August to late January typically brings more than 3-and-a-half inches of rain to Phoenix, according to National Weather Service data.
Wednesday’s moisture will barely make a dent in Phoenix’s rainfall deficit. Smith said after these clouds clear out, there’s no more rain in the forecast and temperatures will start to warm up significantly.
“Early next week we could be looking at highs in the low to mid-80s across the Phoenix area, so it’s going to be quite the change, we could actually potentially be approaching some record highs as well,” Smith said.
The extremely dry conditions follow a number of other recent weather records. In Phoenix, 2024 was the hottest year on record, and last summer brought the Valley's longest-ever consecutive stretch of days above 100 degrees.
The National Weather Service forecasts most of Arizona is likely to continue to see below-average precipitation at least through April.
Metro Phoenix forecast
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 63 and low around 39.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 67 and low around 42.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 73 and low around 47.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 79 and low around 50.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 84 and low around 54. Calm wind.
Source: National Weather Service
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