Nearly a month’s worth of rain fell on today’s date 12 years ago
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It was exactly 12 years ago to this date, Aug. 23, that the Phoenix area was hit by big monsoon thunderstorms.
Phoenix officially recorded 0.80″ of rainfall on August 23, 2012. That’s almost an entire month’s worth of rain, and about one-third of the normal monsoon grand total.
Other areas like Scottsdale and Mesa were also hit by the heavy rain. Rainfall ponded on the streets, and some roads had to be blocked off because of flooding.
You might think 0.8″ of rainfall does not sound that impressive. However, here in the Phoenix area, there is a lot of pavement and a lot of dry desert soil. These surfaces do not absorb water very well. Therefore, even a moderate amount of rain often has nowhere to go and ends up flowing into the streets, streams, rivers and washes.
But 2012 is not the only year that featured some crazy weather on Aug. 23. According to the National Weather Service Phoenix office, a severe thunderstorm rolled through the Phoenix area on Aug. 23, 1982. Some roads were covered by feet of water, and the roof of a supermarket reportedly collapsed.
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