PHOENIX - Sky Harbor recorded roughly 8.3 inches as of November 25, more than the 7.22 inch annual average, Ryan Worley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said. According to the National Weather Service’s website, the recorded rainfall hasn’t exceeded the average since 2018 when Sky Harbor recorded 9.29 inches.
Around 76% of the rainfall was from September onwards, Worley said. That large amount of rainfall has made this fall the wettest in Arizona’s history breaking 1939’s record of 6.11 inches with roughly 6.31 inches of rain.
“... Things have really shifted towards wetter patterns,” Worley said. “It’s not only great news for just Phoenix, but also the state of Arizona as well.”
The above-average amount of rainfall is greater than the 4.5 inches Sky Harbor recorded last year, and almost double the 4.21 inches recorded in 2023.
The large amount of rainfall in a short amount of time has caused flooding in some areas. The Globe-Miami area was hit with a flash flood in September, killing three people and causing severe damage.
“We have no idea how much it’s gonna cost for damages,” James Mills, a Globe resident, said in a video on his YouTube channel Chilling Encounters. “But several businesses downtown have been heavily, deeply affected…”
Currently Arizona is in a La Niña pattern. This typically means dryer weather for Arizona, but this year the pattern has led to more precipitation. Worley said that a similar thing happened in 2023 which had a very wet winter.
If the current weather pattern continues into next year, it may lead to a less active fire season. The pattern could make the soil moist for a longer period of time, which reduces how conducive the fire-weather conditions are, Worley said.
Worley said, It’s unclear what the weather will look like throughout December, but the National Weather Service is keeping an eye on the system.
“The start of December could be a bit wet and cooler,” Worley said. “But we’re still keeping an eye on things cause we’re not completely certain if the system that we’re seeing out into the future is gonna be conducive to see rainfall in the lower deserts.”
Arizona’s total rainfall in 2025 is still behind its total in 2024, but the year isn’t over.
“We'll have to wait and see what happens through the end of November and December,” Erinanne Saffell, Arizona’s state climatologist, said. “If we compare only January through October statewide precipitation, 2024 was wetter than 2025. That's why we need to wait and see what happens before we compare the full year.”