Dear Tom,
Nevada!?!? I thought Arizona was the driest state with 7.5 inches of rain annually.
Elise White Pearce
Dear Elise,
You are referring to our statement on July 21 that, "Nevada, with a scant 9 inches [of
rain] annually, is the driest [state]."
The annual total (7.5 inches) that you suggested for Arizona is representative only of
central Arizona. Other areas of the Grand Canyon State, especially the higher elevations
of the north, receive up to 22 inches. The state as a whole gets 14 inches.
Nevada lies in the "rain shadow" of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to its west and it is
sheltered from precipitation accompanying storms from the Pacific Ocean.
In addition, Arizona experiences a summer monsoon when thunderstorm-triggering
moisture from the Gulf of California, just to the south, works its way across the state.
Nevada, farther northwest, receives little of that moisture.
