We finally got a respite from the rain today after a very wet past few days that saw some records broken:

Saturday’s wet weather wound up being record setting, as the 1.12 inches that fell at Sky Harbor Airport were the most ever for Jan. 26. That is actually more than double the old record of .43 inches set back on this date in 1985. Saturday was also the eighth wettest January day on record for the Valley.

The rain fell so heavily it even stranded hikers up in the mountains. Not sure how much more rain we got early this morning, but for nearly an hour before it got light it really came down. Wouldn’t surprise me if this last storm gave us 1-2″ of rain here in the East Valley. As much as my back and side yards didn’t need any more water coming down upon it, you won’t hear me (or anyone around here, for that matter) complain about an excess of rain in the desert. These storms are hard to come by, and we welcome them when they do – we know what lies ahead!

With my back and side yards already wet from the Great Watering System Fiasco, it’s not suprising that one treads on any grass surface at their own risk. In parts of the backyard, you’d sink into mud several inches thick; as the photo shows, step around the side yard and you’re likely to get bopped on the head by a falling lemon – between the recent freeze and this past week’s rain the yard is a mess.

Fortunately, there’s no sign of rain in the forecast any time soon and we’ll be back up in the mid- to high 70’s by week’s end, so maybe – just maybe – things can start drying out around here.