LINCOLN, Neb. — It’s looking like it could be a dangerously dry spring in southeastern Arizona.
“Severe drought expanded over more of western Utah while extreme drought expanded into more of southern Arizona,” the U.S. Drought Monitor reported on its summary Thursday.
The Drought Monitor’s latest map of Arizona shows extreme drought conditions exist in almost all of Greenlee County, much of Graham, and the northeastern and southwestern corners of Cochise. The rest of the three counties are under severe drought conditions.
Under extreme drought conditions:
- Runoff is short and conditions are dusty
- Livestock does not have adequate water and ranching operations are affected
- Native plants are stressed
- Wildlife encroaches on developed areas in search of water and food
It also means the risk of wildfire increases and fire restrictions could be implemented early, which increases the need for fire preparedness.
The National Weather Service is predicting above normal temperatures over the next six to 10 days, with very little chance of precipitation.
