Climate change has impacted all the countries, cities and localities globally. Similarly, the changes in weather patterns, temperatures and climatic conditions have altered many things for Phoenix and other cities in Arizona, where authorities have been recording the annual rainfall rates and have deemed it a concern for future trends. The inconsistent ratio of rainfall spanning across the past few years has shown that the monsoon of 2021 was a welcome relief but also damaging to the city. This blog will explore the rainfall rates of Arizona’s cities and how it has impacted the lives of residents.
What is the average rainfall in Arizona today?
After spending 2019 and 2020 waiting for monsoons but not receiving nearly enough, 2021 was the year where Arizona received rainfall over the average rate. The showers were a happy sight for some Arizonians in the cities like Phoenix, where the Arizona water supply problems ceased. However, other cities experienced damages in the form of their property getting destroyed. After spending a couple of hot and dry years, the rains of 2021 were welcomed as the wettest monsoon season in years. The last instance of receiving heavy rainfall in the city of Phoenix was back in 2014.
The last year’s monsoons in Phoenix were calculated to be almost 2 inches, a surplus of the usual rainfall. As per statistics, July 2021 received more than 17 times with or rainfall than the year before in July 2020. Such an increase in rainfall in 2021 led to a drop in the overall temperature of the Valley, bringing relief from the blistering heat. Meteorologists found that there was a stark difference of over 5 degrees in the temperature of the city in July 2021 as compared to 2020. However, the Valley was just one of the parts of Arizona that noticed an increased rate of rainfall.
Tucson witnessed the third-most intense monsoon with 7 inches above the average count. Flagstaff noticed a substantial increase with nearly 9 inches of rainfall more than they received in 2020. Apart from being cooler across all cities, the 2021 rain showers seemed to have taken care of all areas experiencing exceptional drought levels of D4 throughout the state.
The Future Rainfall Trends of Arizona and its Cities
While the rainfall increase in 2021 was a huge relief for many experiencing drought and extreme temperatures, it also brought its share of disasters, namely floods that swept away several homes. The property damage and loss of livestock during such monsoons are substantial enough to ring alarm bells concerning the future trends of monsoons. Arizona and its cities will have to be vigilant regarding the cloud formation and weather changes to track the monsoon forecast to prevent such loss of property.
Conclusion
What remains to be seen is if 2021’s rains were a lucky spell and will push 2022’s summer to a new intensity, aggravating the water crisis again. It is necessary for the city and state officials to work together to create all the necessary provisions in order to be prepared for both outcomes.