This year, Tucson saw an above-average monsoon, ranking as the third-wettest. 2021 totaled 12.79 inches of monsoon rainfall; the wettest monsoon totaled 13.84 inches of rain in 1964. The rainfall for 2020’s monsoon was 1.62 inches.
2021’s July also broke records, becoming the wettest July on record and the wettest month in Tucson, NWS said. A total of 8.06 inches of rain was recorded, beating out August 1955 with 7.93 inches.
Thanks to the stormy weather seen in 2021, drought conditions improved in Pima County. At the start of 2021, most of Pima County was in an “exceptional drought.” Now, Pima County is considered to be “abnormally dry.”
As for the last month in 2021, Tucson saw warmer temperatures than usual. December 2021 ranked third in the top 10 warmest Decembers, averaging 57.2 degrees, NWS said. The warmest December was in 1980 with an average temperature of 58.1 degrees.