According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s recently released U.S.
The impact is forecast to be especially strong in Arizona and New Mexico, both of which are already almost entirely in the grip of drought.
“These are the worst conditions for this region since spring of 2014.” He said that all of Arizona is impacted by some level of drought and about the half of the state is already at the level of Extreme Drought (D3) on the latest drought monitor.
“Snowpack levels in Arizona are less than 25 percent of average for this time of year, pretty much zero in many locations, and we are bracing for a busy fire season,” Crimmins said.
“This ups the odds of a shortage declaration on the river in the next couple of years, which would impact agricultural water deliveries to central Arizona.” The USDA has already designated most of Arizona as a primary natural disaster area as a result of losses and damages from the drought.
Here is a breakdown of current drought summaries for the Southwestern states as of April 3, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS): Arizona: 6.39 million people, or about 100 percent of the state’s population, has been affected by abnormal dryness or drought; California: 29.9 million people, about 80 percent; Colorado: 4.25 million people, about 85 percent; Nevada: 2.46 million people, about 91 percent; New Mexico: 2.06 million people, about 100 percent; Utah: 2.76 million people, about 100 percent.
Paul Gutierrez, professor and extension specialist for New Mexico State University, has been involved with livestock economics in the state for about 30 years and is no stranger to drought in the “Land of Enchantment.” “In New Mexico, we’re quite accustomed to droughts,” he said.
“In the desert, timing is everything when it comes to rain.
The last drought was followed by record cattle prices, Gutierrez said.
“The old saying is, ‘You can’t feed your way out of a drought,’ but many producers did because the cattle market was so strong,” he said.