We are a month and a half away from the end of water year 2016, and a year has past since much of Nevada reported very severe drought conditions in most of the state. The drought map for August 9, 2016 shows about a third of the state (a slice in the east) reporting no drought conditions, while about a fifth of the state (a pocket in the southwest) reports severe drought (Figure 1). A very small part of Nevada is classified as being in extreme drought. 



Figure 1: Nevada's drought report, August 9, 2016 (U.S. Drought Monitor, 8/2016)



 

 

Figure 2:  Nevada's drought report from August 11, 2015 (U.S. Drought Monitor, 8/2016)

A year ago, conditions were much worse, and nearly half of the state experienced extreme or exceptional drought that persisted well into the new water year.  El Nino delivered precipitation as expected, which led to increased storage in reservoirs and soils. 

 

Drought is episodic and unpredictable, meaning that it comes and goes and that drought severity can change quickly with the arrival of a major storm system or an El Nino winter.  As you can see from Figures 1 and 2, many of the counties that were eligible for disaster relief assistance in 2015 are no longer in critical zones.