Arizona, 2013Drought in Arizona, April 23 to 30, 2013
April 23 to 30, 2013 · NWS TWC · 6 events in 6 counties and zones
Severe drought conditions deteriorated into extreme drought conditions over portions of southeast Arizona toward the end of April.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Severe drought conditions deteriorated into extreme drought conditions over portions of southeast Arizona toward the end of April.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 23, 9:06 AM MST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 9:06 AM MST, 2 hours 54 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
906 AM MST TUE APR 23 2013
.SYNOPSIS...EXPECT DRY CONDITIONS AND ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
INTO THE COMING WEEKEND. A FEW CLOUD BUILDUPS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE
MOUNTAINS THURSDAY WITH GUSTY WINDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
&&
.DISCUSSION...CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA
UNDER DRY WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. A DRY COLD FRONT IS MOVING THROUGH
NORTHERN AND WESTERN ARIZONA BUT THIS WILL MORE OR LESS WASH OUT
BEFORE GETTING TO SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. EXPECT CONTINUED WARM
TEMPERATURES TODAY WITH HIGHS ABOUT 3 TO 7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
SIMILAR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY AS WE WATCH A MOISTURE
STARVED SOUTHERN STREAM UPPER LOW APPROACH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND
SWING THROUGH ARIZONA THURSDAY. SOME MID LEVEL MOISTURE WILL
INCREASE AS EARLY AS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH PERHAPS A FEW CLOUDS
FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND EVEN PERHAPS A FEW SHOWERS IN THE WHITE
MOUNTAINS THURSDAY AS THE LOW MOVES. IN ADDITION...THE GRADIENT WILL
TIGHTEN BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON RESULTING IN BREEZY TO WINDY
CONDITIONS WITH POSSIBLE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS EAST OF TUCSON AS
WELL.
&&
.AVIATION...PATCHES OF THIN CIRRUS PASSING THROUGH OTHERWISE CLR
THROUGH 24/12Z. DIURNAL SURFACE WIND TRENDS GENERALLY LESS THAN 10
KTS THIS MORNING...BECOMING WLY AT 10-15 KTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KTS
AFTER 23/18Z. WINDS AFT 24/03Z DIURNALLY DRIVEN AND LESS THAN 10
KTS. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...EXPECT DAYTIME MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES THROUGH
WEDNESDAY TO GENERALLY BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS WITH POOR OVERNIGHT
RECOVERIES. NORMAL DIURNAL WIND TRENDS WILL ALSO OCCUR...WITH
OCCASIONAL GUSTS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING.
STRONGER WINDS ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR ON THURSDAY AS A WEAKENING LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. ISOLATED SPOTS
ACROSS EASTERN COCHISE COUNTY THURSDAY AFTERNOON MAY APPROACH RED
FLAG CONDITIONS FOR AN HOUR OR TWO. AT THIS TIME APPEARS THAT ANY
MEASURABLE RAINFALL ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE NORTH OF THE
AREA. HOWEVER...A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES MAY OCCUR NEAR THE
MOUNTAINS. THEREAFTER...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL PROVIDE DRY
CONDITIONS AREA-WIDE FRIDAY INTO MONDAY WITH HOTTER TEMPERATURES.
&&
.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE
&&
VISIT US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...YOUTUBE...AND AT WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
Drought, Upper San Pedro River Valley
- When
- April 23, 12:00 PM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Upper San Pedro River Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 32.109, -110.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
While much of southeast Arizona benefited from near or even slightly above normal precipitation in December of 2012 into January of 2013, valleys of Cochise, Graham and Greenlee Counties remained on the dry side. February and April totals were less than 50% of normal in these areas, and they fared only marginally better during March. By late April, extreme drought (D3) conditions developed over the northeast three quarters of Cochise County and the southern halves Graham and Greenlee Counties, essentially east of a line from Clifton to Fort Thomas to Benson to Bisbee. One impact was an increase in the wildfire danger in these areas.
Drought, Eastern Cochise County Below 5000 Feet
- When
- April 23, 12:00 PM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern Cochise County Below 5000 Feet forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.880, -109.751 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
While much of southeast Arizona benefited from near or even slightly above normal precipitation in December of 2012 into January of 2013, valleys of Cochise, Graham and Greenlee Counties remained on the dry side. February and April totals were less than 50% of normal in these areas, and they fared only marginally better during March. By late April, extreme drought (D3) conditions developed over the northeast three quarters of Cochise County and the southern halves Graham and Greenlee Counties, essentially east of a line from Clifton to Fort Thomas to Benson to Bisbee. One impact was an increase in the wildfire danger in these areas.
Drought, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys
- When
- April 23, 12:00 PM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 33.074, -109.563 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
While much of southeast Arizona benefited from near or even slightly above normal precipitation in December of 2012 into January of 2013, valleys of Cochise, Graham and Greenlee Counties remained on the dry side. February and April totals were less than 50% of normal in these areas, and they fared only marginally better during March. By late April, extreme drought (D3) conditions developed over the northeast three quarters of Cochise County and the southern halves Graham and Greenlee Counties, essentially east of a line from Clifton to Fort Thomas to Benson to Bisbee. One impact was an increase in the wildfire danger in these areas.
Drought, Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains
- When
- April 23, 12:00 PM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 32.572, -110.328 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
While much of southeast Arizona benefited from near or even slightly above normal precipitation in December of 2012 into January of 2013, valleys of Cochise, Graham and Greenlee Counties remained on the dry side. February and April totals were less than 50% of normal in these areas, and they fared only marginally better during March. By late April, extreme drought (D3) conditions developed over the northeast three quarters of Cochise County and the southern halves Graham and Greenlee Counties, essentially east of a line from Clifton to Fort Thomas to Benson to Bisbee. One impact was an increase in the wildfire danger in these areas.
Drought, Chiricahua Mountains
- When
- April 23, 12:00 PM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Chiricahua Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.880, -109.751 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
While much of southeast Arizona benefited from near or even slightly above normal precipitation in December of 2012 into January of 2013, valleys of Cochise, Graham and Greenlee Counties remained on the dry side. February and April totals were less than 50% of normal in these areas, and they fared only marginally better during March. By late April, extreme drought (D3) conditions developed over the northeast three quarters of Cochise County and the southern halves Graham and Greenlee Counties, essentially east of a line from Clifton to Fort Thomas to Benson to Bisbee. One impact was an increase in the wildfire danger in these areas.
Drought, Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains
- When
- April 23, 12:00 PM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.834, -110.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
While much of southeast Arizona benefited from near or even slightly above normal precipitation in December of 2012 into January of 2013, valleys of Cochise, Graham and Greenlee Counties remained on the dry side. February and April totals were less than 50% of normal in these areas, and they fared only marginally better during March. By late April, extreme drought (D3) conditions developed over the northeast three quarters of Cochise County and the southern halves Graham and Greenlee Counties, essentially east of a line from Clifton to Fort Thomas to Benson to Bisbee. One impact was an increase in the wildfire danger in these areas.
- Drought
- A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Lightning Strike in Missouri, April 23, 20131 death · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in Missouri, April 23, 2013$50,000 · 1 event
- Cold in Texas, April 23 to 24, 201320 events
- Drought in Texas, April 23 to 30, 20133 events
- Cold in Oklahoma, April 23 to 24, 20133 events
- Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, April 23, 20131 event
- Frost and Freeze in Colorado, April 23 to 24, 20131 event
- High Wind in Texas, April 23 to 24, 20131 event
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 448300, 448480, 448481, 448482, 448483, 448497.