Arizona
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is updated each Thursday to show the location and intensity of drought across the country. This map shows drought conditions across Arizona using a five-category system, from Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions to Exceptional Drought (D4). The USDM is a joint effort of the National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA, and NOAA. Learn more.
The following state-specific drought impacts were compiled by the National Drought Mitigation Center. While these impacts are not exhaustive, they can help provide a clearer picture of drought in Arizona.
- Forage is limited; soil is dry
- Fire risk increases
- Plants are stressed; hillsides are unusually brown
- Stock ponds and creeks are nearly dry; some springs are dry
- Water and feed are inadequate for livestock
- Fire danger is high; fire crews are mobilizing
- Little forage remains for wildlife; pine trees are losing needles
- Ranching operations are affected
- Fire preparedness increases; fire restrictions are implemented early
- Skiing tourism is low; snowpack is extremely low
- Fire restrictions increase; large fires occur year-round
- Vegetation green-up is poor; native plants are dying
- Lakes, ponds, and streams are dry
- Forage is limited; soil is dry
- Fire risk increases
- Plants are stressed; hillsides are unusually brown
- Stock ponds and creeks are nearly dry; some springs are dry
- Water and feed are inadequate for livestock
- Fire danger is high; fire crews are mobilizing
- Little forage remains for wildlife; pine trees are losing needles
- Ranching operations are affected
- Fire preparedness increases; fire restrictions are implemented early
- Skiing tourism is low; snowpack is extremely low
- Fire restrictions increase; large fires occur year-round
- Vegetation green-up is poor; native plants are dying
- Lakes, ponds, and streams are dry
- Forage is limited; soil is dry
- Fire risk increases
- Plants are stressed; hillsides are unusually brown
- Stock ponds and creeks are nearly dry; some springs are dry
- Water and feed are inadequate for livestock
- Fire danger is high; fire crews are mobilizing
- Little forage remains for wildlife; pine trees are losing needles
- Ranching operations are affected
- Fire preparedness increases; fire restrictions are implemented early
- Skiing tourism is low; snowpack is extremely low
- Fire restrictions increase; large fires occur year-round
- Vegetation green-up is poor; native plants are dying
- Lakes, ponds, and streams are dry
Explore Drought Conditions by City and County
View up-to-date drought conditions down to the city and county level, including temperature, and precipitation conditions, key drought indicators, outlooks, historical conditions, and water supply, agriculture, and public health maps.
Drought in Arizona from 2000–Present
The U.S. Drought Monitor started in 2000. Since 2000, the longest duration of drought (D1–D4) in Arizona lasted 512 weeks beginning on August 18, 2009, and ending on June 4, 2019. The most intense period of drought occurred the week of December 1, 2020, where D4 affected 76.81% of Arizona land.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a national map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are currently in drought. The USDM relies on drought experts to synthesize the best available data and work with local observers to interpret the information. The USDM also incorporates ground truthing and information about how drought is affecting people, via a network of more than 450 observers across the country, including state climatologists, National Weather Service staff, Extension agents, and hydrologists. Learn more.
The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is an index to characterize meteorological drought on a range of timescales, ranging from 1 to 72 months. The SPI is the number of standard deviations that observed cumulative precipitation deviates from the climatological average. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information produce the 9-month SPI values below on a monthly basis, going back to 1895. Learn more.
Tree-rings are used to extend the instrumental record of drought to over 2,000 years. The Living Blended Drought Product (LBDP) is a recalibrated data series of June-July-August Palmer Modified Drought Index (PMDI) values in the lower 48 U.S. states. This dataset blends tree-ring reconstructions and instrumental data to estimate the average summer PMDI values, which extend over 2,000 years in some parts of the U.S. Learn more.
Web Resources for Arizona
DroughtView: Satellite-based Drought Monitoring and Assessment
Arizona Drought Management and Resources
Arizona Drought Monitoring Technical Committee
Arizona Drought Preparedness Plan (2004)
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
NDMC | Arizona Drought Planning Resources
USDA Farm Service Agency | Arizona
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices | FGZ - Flagstaff, AZ
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices | PSR - Phoenix, AZ
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices | TWC - Tucson, AZ
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices | VEF -Las Vegas, NV
Western Regional Climate Center
Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS, a NOAA RISA team)
CLIMAS | Arizona Reservoir Volumes
National Weather Service | Western Region
National Weather Service | Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC)
Tell us how drought is impacting your community by submitting a condition monitoring report. Your submissions help us better understand how drought is affecting local conditions.