Protecting & enhancing Arizona’s water supplies for current and future generations.
Drought Status
Drought Status
Drought Status
The Arizona Drought Monitoring Technical Committee confers weekly to advise the U.S. Drought Monitor authors on the current drought conditions in Arizona, and makes recommendations about the position of the drought boundaries for Arizona. The U.S. Drought Monitor is the official record of drought for Federal drought relief claims. Information used by the MTC in advising the Drought Monitor authors includes numerous drought indices, precipitation and stream flow data, and impacts data. Every Thursday, the Drought Status web page automatically updates with the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map of Arizona.
Monthly Drought Status Summary: February 2019
Due to heavy rain and snowfall in February, drought conditions improved in most areas of the state, leaving only 38% of Arizona in some level of drought, compared to last month’s 84%. In addition, the percentage of Arizona in Severe Drought (D2) or worse dropped this month from 18% to 5%.
Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions persist in Yuma, Graham, and Greenlee counties and Moderate (D1) or Severe Drought remain in most of Navajo and Apache counties as well as eastern Coconino County.
There is a healthy level of snowpack across the state and the soil beneath the snow is saturated, which should lead to significant spring run-off.
Weak El Nino conditions will persist through the spring; and odds are weighted towards a wetter than average March before the typical dry spring season settles over the Southwest.
At the end of each month, the MTC produces the web-based, short-term drought status update based on U.S. Drought Monitor's maps for the past four weeks. An email with the latest map and summary is sent to interested parties.
Quarterly Drought Status Update: October - December 2018
Exceptional Drought (D4) continues in the northeastern and east-central Arizona. Streamflow in many basins and groundwater levels statewide remain low. While this winter is significantly wetter than last winter, it will take several consecutive years of above average precipitation to overcome the deficits of the long-term drought.
Due to the lack of stations and surface data in Coconino County, northern Mohave County, and southeastern Arizona, the map displays abnormally dry or no drought conditions. However, these areas continue to have long-term water resource issues, such as wells going dry and the need for water hauling.
El Nino conditions will persist through the spring, though atmospheric response has been minimal this winter. While odds remain tilted slightly towards wetter than average for the next month, these conditions deteriorate once the typically dry spring months arrive.
This report was prepared by the Arizona Drought Monitoring Technical Committee, November 2, 2018. Arizona's long-term drought status map is updated quarterly and the next update in early January will reflect the conditions of October, November and December. The long-term drought status for each watershed is determined by comparing the precipitation and streamflow percentiles for the past 24, 36 and 48 months to a 40-year historical record.