Wetter than average monsoon in the Valley
The just-ended 2012 monsoon season produced more rain than normal in the Valley, and the dust storms were very intense.
From Phoenix, KJZZ’s Steve Goldstein reports.
STEVE GOLDSTEIN: The monsoon season runs from June 15 through September 30. Average rainfall during that period at the official gauge at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is 2.7 inches. This year, the Valley beat that by about three-tenths of an inch. Precipitation during the 2010 and 2011 monsoon seasons was light, but that wasn’t the case with dust storms. 2012 continued that particular trend, according to Gary Woodall, the Meteorologist-in-Charge of the National Weather Service’s Phoenix office.
GARY WOODALL: In the Valley, there were nine days with what we would classify as a dust storm—that is, an observation or storm spotter report of visibility less than a quarter-mile because of the blowing dust.
GOLDSTEIN:Looking ahead to winter in the Valley, Woodall says we should expect a weak El Nino that will keep the cooler months from being too dry.
