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Drought continues to expand across American Southwest

Forecasters are calling for a drier and warmer spring for Arizona and the Southwest, as the state enters its 21st year of long-term drought. (dasroofless/Creative Commons)

Forecasters are calling for a drier and warmer spring for Arizona and the Southwest, as the state enters its 21st year of long-term drought. (dasroofless/Creative Commons)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Drought is stiffening its hold across the American Southwest as extreme conditions spread from Oklahoma to Utah.

The federal drought map released April 12 shows dry conditions intensifying across northern New Mexico and expanded in Arizona.

According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, nearly half of New Mexico and Arizona are facing extreme drought or worst conditions while around 60 percent of Utah is under severe drought.

On the southern high plains, Oklahoma remains ground zero right now for the worst drought conditions in the United States. About 20 percent of the state is facing exceptional drought conditions — the worst possible classification.

Most of Colorado also is under severe drought and almost all of the Texas Panhandle is seeing extreme drought or worse conditions.

Regional outlook

NOAA issued its three-month U.S. Spring Outlook and said drought was forecasted to persist or worsen in the southern and central Plains, Southwest and California. According to the NOAA, warmer and drier-than-normal weather is likely to engulf the region this spring.

According to the Arizona State Climate Office (ASCO), Arizona is currently in its 21st year of a long-term drought.

However, drought in the West is a long-term concept where a single dry year does not constitute a drought. Since Arizona has an arid and semi-arid climate, extreme variability in precipitation is normal, and drought is characterized by a string of drier than normal years, often interrupted by a few wetter than normal years.

ASCO reports that reservoirs in the Southwest are currently about half full and are supplying an ever increasing population. ASCO said most watersheds in the state have experienced only 7 or 8 normal or wetter than normal years during the past 21 years. The deep canyon topography of the Western U.S. is ideal for creating large reservoirs, such as Lakes Mead and Powell on the Colorado River, and Roosevelt Lake on the Salt River in Arizona. The reservoirs provide an assured water supply in dry years, provided the drought does not last too long.

Additional information provided NOAA and ASCO


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