Phoenix just experienced one of the hottest Thanksgivings on record, and high temperatures across the state are exacerbating another issue: drought.
Unless you’re in the northwestern corner of the state, if you’re living in Arizona, you’re living in a drought.
Jessica Nolte is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. She says the hardest hit areas are in the central and southern parts of the state. And she says the dry conditions go far beyond Arizona’s boundaries.
“The drought extends up into Utah, and maybe the western portions of Colorado and New Mexico, and even into Southern California, as well,” Nolte said.
On Friday, Albuquerque had its 50th consecutive day without any recorded rain.
On positive note, Nolte said that Arizona’s drought conditions are actually slightly better than in years past — thanks to a very wet monsoon a few years back. But she said it would take several wet seasons to make a big change in conditions.
You can check the status of the drought across the country, and even search by ZIP code, at drought.gov.
