While it may seem like Phoenix hasn’t had any rain this winter, that’s actually not the case.
Admittedly, the little bit of rain we've had falls in the category of "if you blinked, you might have missed it," but there has been some.
So far this meteorological winter, Phoenix has seen 0.44 inch of rain through Feb. 11. Meteorologists define winter as the three coldest months — December, January and February. Normal for that period is 2.11 inches.
As little as this winter's total is, it’s not even close to the record from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28 in Phoenix. That record is no rain in the winter of 2005-06.
This winter ranks ninth on the driest list, but with strong chances for rain in the forecast this week there’s a chance it could fall out of the top 10.
The 10 driest winters in Phoenix
According to the National Weather Service.
1. 2005-06: None
2. 1999-2000: 0.01 inch
3. 1911-12: 0.11 inch
4. 1963-64: 0.23 inch
5. 1899-1900: 0.23 inch
6. 1920-21: 0.24 inch
7. 1960-61: 0.31 inch
8. 2013-14: 0.39 inch
9. 2017-18: 0.44 inch
10. 1971-72: 0.47 inch
by weldon b johnson