Flagstaff, Arizona – This winter is starting out as the driest on record in Arizona. Flagstaff is experiencing the seventh driest start to winter on record going back nearly 125 years.

We took a closer look at whether the weather is likely to improve on its own.

The National Weather Service flagstaff Here’s what this dryness means: weather The ski season has passed.

this was not normal

NWS meteorologists say this winter has seen more precipitation than usual, especially snowfall.

Megan Taylor, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for NWS Flagstaff, elaborates on these numbers.

“In a normal year, we would have had about 3 feet of snow by early January,” she said. “In the Flagstaff area, we actually saw just under 3 inches.”

The lack of snow cover can extend into the summer months.

“The forecast that was just released today is that we will need 30 to 50% of our water supply from winter to spring. So there will definitely be an impact on water supplies. “The cool season moisture is expected to be mostly gone,” she said.

So, what are the conditions for making up for this deficit?

“Even if we were to get anything close to normal snowfall here, it would take much longer than normal snowfall in both February and March, but that seems unlikely,” Taylor said.

Angie Grubb, who works at Arizona Snowbowl, said skiers and snowboarders can enjoy winter recreation regardless of the amount of natural snowfall.

However, we have no choice but to rely on artificial snow.

“What comes out of these snow machines is essentially just frozen water, just like natural snowfall,” Grubb said.

She’s hopeful based on last season that there will be more snow.

“Last season we actually had a lot of snow the last weekend in April and that allowed us to extend our season and last year we were able to stay open until June 1st,” she said. .

The good news is that the National Weather Service has experienced dry winters like this before, and Taylor said it’s very unusual for water restrictions to be in place.