Much of the record below-normal wintertime precipitation was likely due to natural weather variations, including a La Nina pattern, while research suggests that successive summers of scant monsoonal rainfall may also occur by chance, the NOAA report said
Arizona had an awesome monsoon season this year. We had 3 major storms in less than 10 days in July and then a storm pretty much every week after that. I find it hard to believe we’re still in a drought after the torrential rainfall we had.
Not just precip record low snow pack as well. Lake Mead is at record low-level it’s only 17 feet above the original water intakes for Vegas. It’s expected to drop below intake one this year or early next year. Intake 2 is 50 feet lower at 1000’ and the new intake 3 is at 860’ that’s below the dead pool level of 895’ where no water can pass through Hoover dam as it’s below the lowest outlet valve. The lake floor is at 735’ at the dam face it was 560 feet but decades of sediment have filled it up to 735 above MSL. Vegas has full use of the water from 895 to 860 as not a drop can be sent to Arizona or California once the lowest outlet is reached.
http://mead.uslakes.info/level.asp