NCDC: Climate of 2004 - July

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Climate of 2004 - July
Arizona Drought

National Climatic Data Center, 16 August 2004

As noted by the CLIMAS/Institute for the Study of Planet Earth (Gregg Garfin), record low daily streamflows have been reported by the USGS this month at several rivers in central Arizona, including two perennial streams: the Hassayampa River and the Verde River. Earlier this year, the Salt River Project cut Phoenix water deliveries by 33% for a second year in a row. Fissures as big as 5 feet wide and 12 feet deep ripped open at the surface, as reported by the media (Arizona Daily Star, 7/16), near Willcox in southeast Arizona. Local experts explain these are a result of long-term pumping of groundwater and the recent drought, reflecting long-term impacts of socioeconomic drought.

Statewide Precipitation Ranks
for Arizona , 2003-2004
Period	Rank
Jul	28^th driest
Jun-Jul	20^th driest
May-Jul	10^th driest
Apr-Jul	46^th driest
Mar-Jul	36^th driest
Feb-Jul	39^th driest
Jan-Jul	39^th driest
Dec-Jul	28^th driest
Nov-Jul	35^th driest
Oct-Jul	32^nd driest
Sep-Jul	30^th driest
Aug-Jul	28^th driest

Click here for graphic showing precipitation departures, January 1998 - present

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Click here for graphic showing Palmer Z Index, January 1998 - present

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Click here for graphic showing precipitation, July 1895-2004

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Click here for graphic showing Palmer Hydrological Drought Index, January 1900 - July 2004

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NCDC / Clim. Monitoring / Climate-2004 / Jul / U.S. Regional Drought / Search / Help

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Last Updated Tuesday, 29-Nov-2005 14:04:48 EST by Richard.Heim@noaa.gov
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