February 18, 2019

Climatologist: Nothing Too Unusual About Arizona's Recent Weather

Residents of the state shouldn't be surprised about the precipitation, as it's basically where it should be.

Rain flood street Raindrops fall in pooling water on a Tucson street.
AZPM

"We've never had weather like this before," is a common refrain among Phoenicians, but there's nothing very unusual about Arizona's recent rain and cold.

After a slow start, a weak El NiƱo finally has kicked into gear, and California storms combined with warmer moisture from the subtropics have brought the state a little extra precipitation.

But overall, Arizona is on track for where it should be this time of year, says state climatologist Nancy Selover of Arizona State University.

"No, this isn't unusual. I mean, it's unusual in the past because we've been in drought, we haven't seen this very often but, for the longer term, it's not an unusual pattern at all."

Beyond the flooding and mudslides lies a silver lining: The precipitation has relieved the short-term drought in northern Arizona and the Four Corners area.

Moreover, as weather warms, wet soil underlying snow pack will encourage meltwater to fill lakes, streams and reservoirs instead of soaking into the ground.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona