As in many parts of Arizona, Sonora has enjoyed heavy monsoon rains, a year after a very disappointing season pushed ranchers and other agricultural sectors to the brink of crisis.
The nearly 6 inches that fell in Sonora in July was up more than 50% over the same figure the year before — and the June figure was almost triple, according to federal data.
Those very welcome rains seem to be easing some of the impacts of the historic drought that has ravaged the state. After falling to record lows, the state’s reservoirs are now approaching 40% capacity. The El Novillo reservoir, which supplies a significant portion of Hermosillo’s drinking water, fell so low earlier in the summer that it nearly became impossible to draw from it. It now sits comfortably over 40% full, federal datashow.
The portion of the state considered to be in extreme or exceptional drought has also fallen precipitously, from over 60% in mid-July, to less than 10% of municipalities at the end of the month, according to national drought monitoring data.
