Arizona drought update (locations, winter, water)

[Valley Native]

Drought Information Statement for Arizona and Southeast California

After monsoon rains ended abnormally early, a persistent dry pattern locked into the Southwest over the autumn season and has only occasionally given up a hold on the region. Precipitation amounts for the Water Year 2017-18 have been paltry with many higher elevation locations barely recording much snow yet this winter. This is typically a wet period for the region, especially across the mountains of northern and eastern Arizona where snowpack is accumulated and refills reservoirs in the spring.

Statewide precipitation deficits are now growing appreciably, especially with respect to high elevation snow; and it appears unlikely that recovery to near normal levels will occur
before the dry spring season begins. As a result, drought conditions have grown rapidly since the beginning of the year with severe levels covering much of the state, and extreme drought already developing.

This wouldn't be so much of a concern if it was one dry winter, but this has been yet another in what seems to be a long series of winter seasons with below normal precipitation. In fact, the winter of 2009-2010 was really the last wet winter I can remember, and even that wasn't excessively wet compared to some of the others I recall in the late '70s, '80s, and '90s.

[mrshowtime3]

Everyone knew it was gonna be a dry winter cycle

[Andrew Wilson]

There was a small La Niña this winter. Which means that the southwest gets drier and the north gets wetter and colder. That seems to have been true. The northern portion of the United States was much wetter and the southwest was much drier.