Hourly Update

Drought conditions concern environmental, health officials

MESA - This autumn is one of the five driest in central Arizona in about four decades and authorities are worried about environmental and health risks if the lack of rain continues much longer. It has been almost two months since a significant rainfall in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The last measurable rain - defined by the National Weather Service as 1/100th of an inch or more - was recorded on Oct. 18. "Since then we've seen only traces. This is unusual that we're still so dry. December is supposed to be one of our wetter months," said Tony Haffer, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service's office in Phoenix. This autumn will go down as one of the five driest in central Arizona in roughly the past 40 years, said Tom Pagano, a forecaster for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a part of the National Water and Climate Center. "We've been watching the drying situation with increasing concern," Pagano added. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is warning of a heightened risk of health problems from air pollution that is worsening, in part, due to the lack of rain. Absence of strong, steady winds also has kept air pollution hanging around, said Steve Owens, DEQ director. Owens said the result is denser accumulations of dust and particulates in the air that could set off a rapid and widespread increase in nose, throat and lung irritations, and more serious aggravations for people with asthma and other respiratory ailments. Without rain or wind to flush out the Valley's stagnant, polluted air, "things could be bad for a while," Owens said. If the situation persists, DEQ will consider stronger calls for the public, businesses and industrial operations to reduce motor vehicle use and take other measures to prevent dust and particulate buildup. Abnormally dry weather throughout Arizona is raising broader fears, said Lori Faeth, adviser to Gov. Janet Napolitano on natural resources and environmental issues. Little winter rain will mean drier state forests, with abundant brittle tinder in the woodlands presenting a bigger threat of wildfires when temperatures climb in spring, Faeth added. In addition, the prospect of minimal snowfall dampens the economic outlook for the northern mountain areas that depend on busy ski areas to help sustain businesses there.