Forecasters say the drought in Arizona to continue to worsen after an exceptionally dry winter.
According to the National Weather Service, Flagstaff received just under 26.9 inches of snow this season.
It’s the 5th lowest snowfall total through April since 1936 and well below the area’s average of 89 inches a year.
The state’s current snowpack is nearly nonexistent after numerous winter and spring warm spells that brought record high temperatures. As a result, most of the northern portion of the state is currently in moderate drought with much of far eastern and northeastern Arizona in severe drought.
Despite the conditions, however, the state’s drought status remains better than it was last year at this time. Currently, a quarter of the state is in severe or worse drought, compared to 89% in April 2025.
In addition, above normal significant wildfire danger is expected for May and June as warmer temperatures and less precipitation are likely.
But monsoon season could bring a very welcome shift in the weather. The outlook for the annual rainy pattern is leaning wetter with a so-called Super El Niño likely to develop sometime between May and July.
Temperatures throughout the Southwest are expected to be above average at least through the middle of May.
