Weather
Central, Eastern Arizona Drought Eases After Monsoon
Tucson, AZ – Drought conditions have improved across much of central and eastern Arizona following the 2026 monsoon, with most of eastern Pima County now outside drought categories.
By Caleb Mercer · 2026-10-01T18:21:03.137Z
Tucson, AZ – Drought conditions have improved across much of central and eastern Arizona following the 2026 monsoon, with most of eastern Pima County now outside drought categories.
According to the National Weather Service in Tucson, the robust 2026 monsoon season has lessened drought impacts across a broad portion of central and eastern Arizona. The agency highlighted especially notable improvement in eastern Pima County.
The latest drought map shown by the NWS uses data valid Sept. 29 and indicates most of eastern Pima County is classified with no drought status. The weather service said the last time eastern Pima County reached that status was October 2024.
Conditions were considerably different at the start of the summer. A comparison map valid June 30 shows extensive moderate and severe drought across central and eastern Arizona, with an area of extreme drought also present.
By late September, those higher level drought classifications had contracted substantially. Areas with no drought or only abnormally dry conditions expanded across southeastern Arizona, including much of eastern Pima County.
The drought categories shown on the NWS graphic range from D0, or abnormally dry, through D4, exceptional drought. Moderate drought is classified as D1, severe drought as D2 and extreme drought as D3.
The improvement does not mean drought has disappeared everywhere in Arizona. The latest map still shows drought classifications in portions of the state, including areas of moderate, severe and locally extreme drought.
The NWS update describes current drought conditions rather than a forecast for the coming weeks. Residents should watch future U.S. Drought Monitor updates to see whether the late summer improvement continues into October.