It's been a wet 2024 so far, but is it the rainiest start to a year?
What could be the last in a series of wet winter storm systems is expected to move through Arizona late Friday and Saturday, with chances for more rain across metro Phoenix and more snow in high country locations.
Showers hit parts of the Valley off and on Thursday, at one point delaying flights at Sky Harbor International Airport, while snow in higher elevations continued to create treacherous travel conditions and road closures. Officials warned motorists to avoid travel to those areas as much as possible.
A flood warning remained in effect for the Tonto Basin areas as water levels in Tonto Creek surged with runoff from the rain and melting snow.
But while the week of storms shattered rainfall records across Los Angeles and other areas of California, Phoenix is still far from the wettest start to a new year.
Since Jan. 1, the National Weather Service has measured 1.88 inches of rain in the official weather gauge at Sky Harbor International Airport. More than 1 inch of that has fallen since Feb. 1. The average rainfall for February is 0.87 of an inch, which already means the month will end above normal.
But that's just, well, a drop in the bucket compared to other years. In 1993, from Jan. 1 to Feb. 8, the airport received 6.05 inches of rain, the most on record for that period, according to the weather service. By the end of February 1993, the total was nearly 7 inches.
This January ended slightly below average for rainfall with 0.73 of an inch, nowhere near the wettest January, the one from 1993, when 5.22 inches of rain fell at the airport. As recently as 2010, January ended with 2.43 inches.
The wettest February on record was 1905, with 4.64 inches. That same year, 1905, the rain gauge had overflowed with 7.95 inches by the end of February, and 1905 still stands as the wettest year on record for Phoenix, with 19.73 inches, according to weather service data.
The forecast for metro Phoenix calls for increasing chances of showers Friday evening, continuing into Saturday, when rain is expected to taper off. High temperatures are expected to reach only the upper 50s, before the start of a warming trend next week. By Thursday, sunny skies are predicted with a high of 75 degrees.
Low temperatures hover in the lower 40s and upper 30s through the weekend.
For updated road and weather conditions, visit Arizona Traveler Information, download the AZ 511 app or dial 511.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Is this the rainiest start to a new year in Phoenix? Not even close
