A measurable amount of rain (more than 0.01 inches ) fell in Phoenix, Arizona for the first time since the start of the year, after a drought in the American city that had gone on for 160 consecutive days, a record for any major U.S. city "Rain— after 160 dry days", Arizona Republic (Phoenix), June 8, 1972, p1 The capital of Arizona, which had more than one million people in its metropolitan area and 600,000 within city limits, had last seen precipitation on December 29, 1971, before the 1972 thunderstorm brought a downpour that spilled over downtown street curbs within minutes "People dance merrily in downpour", Arizona Republic (Phoenix), June 8, 1972, p1 .