The monsoon season was a dud across much of the U.S. Southwest this year, bringing high hope but delivering little rainfall.
Several communities in northern Arizona had the driest monsoon season on record.
Measurements at airports in Flagstaff, Show Low and Grand Canyon were the lowest in recorded history, while measurements in the Prescott area showed either 54 or 57 percent of a normal monsoon rainfall this year.
The lone community mentioned in a National Weather Service graphic of the area showing a normal amount of rainfall was Jerome.
The seasonal weather pattern is characterized by a shift in wind patterns and moisture being pulled in from the tropical coast of Mexico. It runs from mid-June through the end of September.
Usually monsoon means rain that can cool down scorching cities, water crops and reduce wildfire risk. But it also can be disappointing.
The Four Corners region had abnormally low rainfall. St. George in southern Utah received traces of rain.
Las Vegas got a little more than a quarter-inch, making it the 14th driest on record.
