Rain drenches parts of the Valley as Arizona experiences a drier than normal summer

Over 80% of Arizona remains in a drought, so the rain is much needed this monsoon season.

PHOENIX - On Aug. 30, parts of Arizona welcomed some wet weather in what's been a dry monsoon season.

Through 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, Maricopa and Pinal counties are expecting heavy rainfall sparking a flash flood warning.

Up north near I-17 and near Black Canyon City got lots of rainfall Sunday night, then the storm picked up back south on I-17 near Carefree.

Those in the Valley saw a lot of thick, dark clouds and lightning.

Monsoon season will end in about a month, and just like last summer, it's been relatively dry despite a handful of monsoons in August.

As of Aug. 25, 82% of Arizona is experiencing drought conditions. In the Valley, the drought is severe and even extreme in some parts according to U.S. Drought Monitor.

"We're shattering heat records left and right, including the number of 110-plus degrees days, which we're now at 50 for the year in Phoenix," explained Jaret Rogers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Phoenix.

Monsoon season is nearly non-existent for the second-straight year, he said. If this trend keeps up, Rogers says vegetation and water supply will feel the impact.

"One summer or even two summers, we can survive that. If this becomes a longer-term trend, that's when it really starts to get concerning," Rogers said.

Fortunately, we've had good precipitation this past winter for the Valley's historical standards, he said.

So far in 2020, Phoenix has seen 4.55 inches of rainfall. The yearly average is 5.23.

"As long as we're still getting those wetter winters that'll certainly help mitigate the drier summers but we're just hoping that this is more of an exception rather than a longer-term trend."

Monsoon season officially ends on Sept. 30, so there is time to catch up.

Wetter Arizona winters making up for drier than normal summers, meteorologist says

As of Aug. 25, 82% of Arizona is experiencing drought conditions.

You can check the latest weather conditions by visiting the FOX 10 Phoenix weather page, or download the Free FOX 10 Weather app, which is available on Apple iOS and Android.