This winter started out very wet, just as last winter did, but by mid- to late-February the circulation patterns shifted, forcing storms to move across the Pacific Northwest, leaving the southwest warm and dry. The unseasonably warm weather is causing an early and rapid snowmelt, resulting in forecasts for below average runoff this spring. Although Salt River Project customers who use surface water from the Salt-Verde reservoir system see plenty of water being released down the Salt River, as the reservoir system is nearly full; other areas of the state that depend on groundwater supplies have not seen their water supply replenished as quickly this year.  Even though most of Arizona looks very green right now, if we don’t receive more precipitation before the summer wet season, much of that vegetation will dry out, increasing the wildfire potential.  Even the short-term drought conditions that have virtually disappeared over the last 6 months may well re-appear.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 20th, 2009 at 11:00 am and is filed under Drought. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.