The Rotary Splash Pad water park opened for the season this past weekend and the temperatures cracked the 90-degree mark for the first time this year over the weekend, so maybe the long, wet winter has finally passed.

Most people who have been around for a while recognized that this past winter season was a bit unusual, and a look at the numbers bears that out. Overnight low temperatures dipped into the 30s in Fountain Hills as recently as last week, before the quick seasonal change.

Looking back through December local temperatures were found to be overall – no significant records – the entire season, colder than usual.

Between Dec. 1 and March 31 (121 days) there were a total of 22 days in which the overnight low temperatures dipped into the 30s. In January there was a stretch of 10 out of 12 consecutive days when the overnight low hovered in the 30s. The lows never dipped below 30.

Similarly, looking at high temperatures there were 28 days within the December to March timeframe in which the high temperatures never go higher than the 50s. There was a stretch of six consecutive days in December and 12 straight days in January with high temperatures below 60 degrees. The lowest high was 47.

And then there was the rain. Looking back all the way to the end of the summer monsoon on Sept. 30, there were 10.16-inches of rain recorded by the Town at Fountain Park through March 31. December was the wettest month with 3.29-inches received. The wettest single day was Jan. 2, with 1.20-inches.

Residents woke up on March 2 to see a dusting of snow on the ground in some places. This was mostly in the McDowell Mountains, but SunRidge Canyon Golf Club received about an inch on its practice putting green.

As for the snowfall, the mountains in the north and east in Arizona received record snowfall over the winter. It has begun to melt off resulting in high water running in the Salt and Verde rivers through the Valley. Salt River Project, which manages the storage dams on the rivers, expects the water to flow through the riverbed through April and maybe into May.

On the silver lining side, the wet winter has resulted in a super bloom of spring flowers in the area that has not been seen for several years.