A wet May has brought much of the local area to the halfway point of reaching average annual rainfall totals right at six months into the year.
According to Rainlog, sponsored by University of Arizona, the Holbrook and Winslow areas have received a total of 4.1 inches of rainfall so far this year. The annual average is between eight and 10 inches, however, most of that total is typically received later in the year, often in late July and August, as well as November and December. At this time last year, the area had received 1.36 inches of rain, and in 2013 the total through early June was 1.92 inches.
In May alone, a rain gauge between Winslow and Holbrook recorded a total of 1.07 inches of rain, including a half-inch on May 15, making it one of the wettest days so far this year. January was also a rainy month, with a total of 1.66 inches of rain, and the greatest accumulation on a single date on Jan. 11 with .61 of an inch. So far in June, a total of .41 of an inch of rain has been recorded.
A rain gauge in Taylor also shows high rainfall totals in the Snowflake-Taylor area, with 6.67 inches of rain so far this year. In 2014, the same gauge had recorded 3.6 inches of rain through early June, and in 2013 that total was 5.36 inches.
In May, a total of 1.56 inches of rain was recorded in Taylor, including .68 of an inch on May 15 and .63 of an inch on May 11. January was also a rainy month for the area, with a total of 2.43 inches recorded, including .72 of an inch on Jan. 13 and .67 of an inch on Jan. 29. Although neither March nor April was an especially rainy month for the area, a few heavy showers helped bring up the totals with .63 of an inch falling on March 2, and .56 of an inch on April 25. The area has received .36 of an inch so far in June.
The rainfall has helped keep grasses and ground cover wet enough to delay fire restrictions. Often put in place over the Memorial Day weekend, the Apache-Sitgreaves Forest as well as county and city officials have not yet had to implement restrictions on outdoor fires and activities.
In the long-term, the additional rainfall has not affected the area’s drought designation and the Arizona Department of Water Resources notes that it is not enough to make up for the deficit created by the lack of snowpack over the winter.
“The rainfall in May was not enough to overcome the deficits that have accumulated since the beginning of the year in terms of water resources, but the high elevation forests have benefitted from the cooler and wetter conditions,” a publication by the department notes.
Navajo County remains designated as experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions.
