Southwest Tropical Rains Prove a Mixed Bag for Drought Relief

  • New Mexico and Arizona could take another step from drought
  • California will need more than just another rainy day
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The tropical Pacific is sending a big dollop of rain into the U.S. Southwest. While it won’t help much in drought-ridden California, it’s another step in the right direction for Arizona and New Mexico.

The annual monsoon can ease the prolonged dry spell in these two states, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. California needs snow and that won’t come from this storm.