Instead of a monsoon, people in Flagstaff are calling the weather pattern this summer a “nonsoon.” It was the driest on record. 

Typically from mid-June through September, the Southwest United States experiences a shift in wind patterns and rain from the tropical coast of Mexico. The period of storms is usually a relief for farmers and anyone living near a fire-prone forest. Not so much this year. 

Flagstaff received less than three inches of rain when it normally gets at least eight, according to the National Weather Service. 

Teec Nos Pos on the Navajo Nation, Show Low and the Grand Canyon Airport also reported record low rainfall. Phoenix and Las Vegas were quite dry, while Tucson, Nogales and Jerome came in close to normal. 

The upside: for people who live below areas burned by wildfire, a nearly nonexistent monsoon means less of a chance for severe flooding.