All that Halloween weekend rain was really unusual
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
They say weird things happen on All Hallow's Eve, and in the Valley this year one eerie occurrence was meteorological — an absurd amount of rain.
Why it matters: Many parts of the Phoenix area received more than 2 inches of rain from Friday through Sunday, including precipitation on Halloween for the first time in nearly four decades.
The big picture: The Valley was soaked by two storm systems this weekend, not just one.
- The rain we got Friday was due to a thunderstorm system, says National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Salerno.
- Constant Pacific Northwest-like drizzle after that — from Halloween through Sunday — was due to an atmospheric river that ventured abnormally south.
What they're saying: "The moisture is about 200–300% of normal for what we'd be typically seeing this time of year," Salerno tells Axios.
Stunning stat: How unusual was it? The last time the Phoenix area saw measurable rainfall on Oct. 31 was 1987.
Zoom in: Want to know how much your part of town was soaked? The map above from the Maricopa County Flood Control District offers a snapshot.
- It shows the three-day rainfall totals, from Friday to Monday mornings, from gauges around the Valley.
- Much of the area got between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain, but the northeast part of town got more.
- Berneil Wash near Paradise Valley received 4.72 inches.
Threat level: Just because skies are clear now doesn't mean you should let your guard down. All that rain runoff is still making its way through the system.
- "It's very dangerous right now to be near any river or creek or wash," Salerno says, "because there's still abundant flow from all the rainfall running off down through these areas."
- He cautioned against any recreational activities near flowing bodies of water, particularly the Salt River.