Fall is here, and Phoenix is off to a wet start – the wettest since 1896.
The National Weather Service in Phoenix tweeted Monday that 3.09 inches of rain fell in the first week of October, making this the wettest start to the water year in more than a century.
Like most of us who saw the tweet, you’re probably wondering what the heck a water year is.
A water year is the timespan between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30 of the next year when hydrologists measure precipitation. The reason those dates differ from the regular calendar year is because part of the precipitation that falls as snow in autumn and winter does not drain until the following spring or summer.
According to NWS, this precipitation is just a start; while we’re a little above where we’ve been lately and above normal for this time of year, previous Octobers received rain later in the month.
As for what that means for our drought, Rosa’s rain boost may bring us a brief respite from drought conditions for now, but NWS said long-term concerns will remain.
