Drought Information Statement for Southeast Arizona Valid April 25, 2024 Issued By: National Weather Service Tucson, AZ Contact Information: w-twc.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated when drought conditions worsen significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/twc/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. Drought conditions continue to improve from west to east. Severe drought conditions across southern Greenlee county, far southeast Graham county and the eastern half of Cochise county. Moderate drought conditions across the remainder of Greenlee county, eastern half of Graham county and central Cochise county. Elsewhere its abnormally dry or no drought at all 1 Drought intensity and Extent D3 (Extreme Drought): No areas. D2 (Severe Drought): Far southern Greenlee county, far southeast Graham county and the eastern half of Cochise county. D1 (Moderate Drought): The remainder of Greenlee county, eastern half of Graham county and central Cochise county D0: (Abnormally Dry): Far eastern Pinal county, eastern Pima county, west-central Cochise county and all of Santa Cruz county. U.S. Drought Monitor Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for southeast Arizona Date Valid: 04/23/24 Precipitation Data over the past 30 days ending April 24, 2024 Most of southeast Arizona has seen above normal total precipitation over the past 30 days. Temperature Image Captions: Left - Average Temperature for Arizona w/southeast Arizona in highlighted gray box Right - Departure from Normal Temperature for Arizona w/southeast Arizona in highlighted gray box Data Courtesy Western Regional Climate Center. Data over the past 30 days ending April 23, 2024 Average temperatures over the past 30 days have been mostly 2° to 4° below normal for southeast Arizona. Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Majority of the river basins in Southeastern Arizona have normal to above normal streamflow conditions. With the exception of the Upper San Pedro River Basin remaining at much below normal. (USGS Streamflow) Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture values have improved thanks to the widespread rain but are still on the dry side across the area. (Current Soil Moisture Observations) Fire Hazard Impacts Greenup process has been under the way since the beginning of April for most of the region. A few areas already cured due to the recent warming temperature trend and lower relative humidity, mainly in the lower elevations. Fire danger will increase in late April and into May as more fuels will continue to dry out, especially on windy, warmer temperatures, and lower humidity days. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Image Caption: USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC map valid April 23, 2024 Majority of the river basins in Southeastern Arizona have normal to above normal streamflow conditions. With the exception of the Upper San Pedro River Basin remaining at much below normal. Agricultural Impacts ?? Soil moisture values are near normal for this time of the year across southeast Arizona. Image Captions: Left: CPC Calculated Soil Moisture Ranking Percentile valid April 23, 2024 Right: Crop Moisture Index by Division. Weekly value for period ending April 20, 2024 Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast valid Thursday April 25 to Thursday May 2 Dry for the majority of southeast Arizona as the calendar turns from April to May over the next 7 days. The exception will be the White Mountains northeast of Safford on Saturday, April 27, as a weather system moving through the state brings a chance of light rain/snow showers to that area. Date Valid: 04/25/24 Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Precipitation Outlook. Valid May to July 2024 Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The Climate Prediction center outlook for May through July for southeast Arizona showed seasonal mean temperatures leaning above normal. The outlook for seasonal total precipitation showed equal odds for either above, near or below normal for most of southeast Arizona. The exception was below normal seasonal precipitation near the Nex Mexico border. Image Caption: Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook Released April 18, 2024 valid for April 18 to July 31, 2024 Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook Drought conditions are likely to persist across Graham, Greenlee and Cochise county through the end of July. Both the Monthly and the Seasonal Drought Outlook images will auto-populate, but please only include one on the slide, moving the other off to the right. Use whichever image tells the best story for your area of interest. Be sure to use the correct caption box and edit the released and valid dates as well. You can and should reference the temperature and precipitation outlooks to support the message, but please keep this slide to 1 image. Discussions: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/mdo_summary.php https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/sdo_summary.php For USAPI, can consider using NMME imagery for temperature and/or precipitation to help message potential drought improvement/degradation/amelioration.