Into each life some rain must fall - unless you've been living in Tucson in recent months.
Since our unexceptional monsoon ended on Sept. 30, the city has pulled a measly 0.03 of an inch of moisture out of the sky.
That leaves us with only 6.73 inches of rain so far this year - 3.74 inches short of the normal for this date, said Gary Zell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
And there's not even a sprinkle in the forecast for the immediate future.
"We're well below average for the year, and we see nothing at this point in the way of rain," Zell said.
He said he could offer no explanation for the no-show of moisture - other than to note that "we've been in a drought for over a decade" despite occasional rainy variations.
Tucson got off to a somewhat slow start with rainfall early in the year - but received a normal if unremarkable total of 6.02 inches during the monsoon period from June 15 to Sept. 30. The normal rainfall for the period is 6.08 inches.
But then things dried up and have stayed that way.
Still, Zell said, a rainy December could get us at least a bit closer to Tucson's average annual rainfall of 11.59 inches.
"All it takes is one or two systems dropping out of the Pacific Northwest and bringing rain to us," he said.
That's what happened last year. Tucson received 2.03 inches of moisture in December 2011 and finished with a total of 12.23 inches for the year.
Zell said it's still a bit early to make predictions about possible December showers.
Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at dkreutz@azstarnet.com or at 573-4192. On Twitter: @DouglasKreutz
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