It's been a beautiful week in the Valley of the Sun!
High pressure is in control, so our forecast has been getting warmer as we wrap up the week.
Highs will approach 90 degrees here in the Valley on Friday, then we'll drop back into the mid-80s over the weekend.
As we head into next week, all eyes are on a big storm system that will be impacting California and the Pacific Northwest.
As it passes to our north Monday night and Tuesday, winds will pick up and we may even see some showers here in Arizona.
The best rain and snow chances will be north of Flagstaff, but there's even a slight chance now in our Valley forecast for a few spotty showers Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Temperatures will drop as cooler air moves in, too.
Valley highs will be back in the upper 70s next Tuesday. Then, we'll spend the rest of next week in the 80s.
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FALL TEMPERATURES ARE GETTING WARMER IN PHOENIX
On average, fall temperatures in Phoenix have risen over 5 degrees since the 1970s.
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PHOENIX IS GETTING DRIER - LOWER RAINFALL AVERAGES NOW
Average Monsoon Rainfall in Phoenix (1981-2010): 2.71" of rain
NEW Average Monsoon Rainfall in Phoenix (1991-2020): 2.43" of rain
Average Yearly Rainfall in Phoenix (1981-2010): 8:03" of rain
NEW Average Yearly Rainfall in Phoenix (1991-2020): 7.22" of rain
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DROUGHT STATUS
77 percent of Arizona is still in drought.
That's down from 99 percent due to lots of monsoon rainfall over the past few months.
For the first time in nearly a year, none of Arizona is in "Exceptional Drought" (the worst kind). That's down from nearly 73 percent at the start of the year.
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MONSOON 2021
Phoenix Sky Harbor received 4.20 inches of rainfall this monsoon. That's more than an inch and a half above normal and the wettest monsoon we've seen since 2014.
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2021 Rainfall totals:
Sky Harbor Official Rainfall: 5.58" (-0.16" from average)
Valley Average (Phoenix Rainfall Index): 7.16"
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Daily rainfall reports from all across the Valley can be found here.
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