Drought in Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

The extreme (D3) drought category was introduced to far southern and eastern sections of southeast Arizona during the latter half of September. The area near the New Mexico line encompassed southern Greenlee, southeast Graham and eastern Cochise counties, including the Chiricahua Mountains; while areas near the International Border stretched from the Huachuca Mountains westward across Santa Cruz County to the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Pima County. Many locations within the extreme drought area only received 20-40 percent of normal rainfall during the monsoon. Soil moisture readings fell below the 5th percentile ranking by the end of September in most areas.