Arizona’s Unpredictable Winter Weather: A Dry Spell Ahead?
In a region where the climate can be as unpredictable as it is diverse, Arizona is once again bracing for a potentially dry winter. After enduring one of the driest winters on record in 2025, the state’s monsoon season further depleted its water reserves, leaving them below average.
Stephen Flora, a senior hydrologist with SRP, remains cautiously optimistic. “In Arizona we have a lot of variability,” Flora stated. “It’s a desert and we can have very wet years and we can have very dry years so there’s quite a bit of range in what you might say is normal.”
Last fall’s rainfall offered some respite, priming the watershed and increasing water flow into the early winter months. Flora noted, “We had a fairly wet fall, so that helped to prime the watershed and we’ve seen some more flow. Our flow has actually been very good this fall and into the early winter.”
Despite the mild presence of a La Niña weather pattern, which typically suggests drier conditions, the state’s climate could still surprise residents this winter. Flora mentioned the current snowpack on the watershed is low but expressed hope for additional snowfall as the season progresses.
For more detailed weather forecasts and updates, visit the National Weather Service.
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