Weekly Map - Drought Conditions

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.

Short-term Drought Conditions

Monthly Drought Status Summary: August 2024

August 2024 Map

August ended the month as the 4th hottest August on record (130 years of record), behind 2020, 2011, and 2019. Maricopa, Yuma, and Apache counties experienced their 3rd hottest August on record.  Coconino County was the only county ending the month with slightly above average precipitation; all other counties experienced below average precipitation for August, with Yuma and La Paz counties both recording their 12th driest August on record. 

Meteorological summer for the state ended as the hottest June, July, August on record and the 41st driest on record. There was some expansion in northeastern counties as well as continuation in central-southern counties without drought (28% of state), but other portions of the state increased degradation. Abnormally dry (D0) areas decreased to 32% of the state, remaining largely in northeastern and central-southern counties. Moderate (D1) short-term drought expanded into western and central counties and remained in southeastern counites (35% of state). Severe (D2) short-term drought advanced into southern Mohave, northern La Paz, and southeastern Maricopa counties, and continued in southeastern counties (5% of state).

There is a 75% chance of weak La Nina conditions developing over the Pacific by the end of the year. As a result, odds are tilted slightly towards a drier than average winter season across the state. 

This report was prepared by the Arizona Drought Monitoring Technical Committee on September 18, 2024. Arizona's short-term drought status map is updated during the first week of each month.

Long-term Drought Conditions

Quarterly Drought Status Update: April-June 2024

June Long Terms Drought outlook

With the past 48 months, Arizona stood as the 28th driest, from July 2020 to June 2024, and ranked as the 7th warmest during in the same 48 months. Cochise County has been much drier in the past 12 months, ranking as the 38th driest, advancing Extreme (D3) long-term drought in southern Cochise County. Southeastern Coconino County slightly improved, removing a small area of Exceptional (D4) long-term drought, while additional Exceptional (D4) long-term drought expanded in Maricopa County and continued entrenched in Santa Cruz and southern Pima counties. Northern counties remained without long-term drought, while western and southern counties and areas from the Mogollon Rim to the White Mountains largely continued with Moderate (D1) and Severe (D2) long-term drought

This report was prepared by the Arizona Drought Monitoring Technical Committee, July 16, 2024. Arizona's long-term drought status map is updated quarterly and the next update will take place in early June, it will reflect the conditions of  April, May, and June. The long-term drought status for each watershed is determined by comparing the precipitation and streamflow percentiles for the past 24, 36, 48 and 60 months to a 40-year historical record.

 


REPORTS FOR 2024

  • December*
  • November
  • October
  • September*
  • August
  • July

 

*Long-term drought status reports are represented with an asterisk