Drought in Clark County now ‘extreme’ after bone-dry streak

Drought is synonymous with the desert Southwest in the 21st century, with climate change reducing water availability in reservoirs across the region. Las Vegas’ dry spell is just one element of the U.S. Drought Monitor’s decision to up the rating, along with other factors like soil moisture and groundwater flows.

But it’s certainly an anomaly to have 151 straight days with no rainfall above one-tenth of an inch, National Weather Service Las Vegas meteorologist Morgan Stessman said. That’s the second-most consecutive days of any year since records began in 1937, inching closer to 2020, when there were 240 days in a row without measurable rain.

“It’s not super promising,” Stessman said of the possibility of rain in the near future. “It looks like we’ll stay pretty dry for the time being.”

Does rain boost reservoirs?

Rainfall doesn’t have much sway in the levels of the country’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, which provides 90 percent of Southern Nevada’s drinking water. When Tropical Storm Hilary passed through last year and delivered almost a regular monsoon season’s worth of rain in a few days, Lake Mead’s gains were minimal.

Lake Mead’s outlook can be better understood through how much snowfall there is in the Rocky Mountains: The U.S. Department of Agriculture placed all snow numbers above Lake Powell at about 96 percent of normal as of Thursday.

Still, the state’s consistent dry streak was enough to raise the drought condition rating to “extreme,” the second-most worrisome designation, said Curtis Riganti, the meteorologist who puts together the country’s drought map.

“The last few decades have been unusually dry across a lot of the West and Southwest,” Riganti said. “Seeing this level of dryness isn’t unusual by definition, but it’s been part of a trend in that whole area.”

Locally, the Southern Nevada Water Authority plans for the worst, banking water for the future should the condition of the Colorado River degrade and states need to take more cuts to their allocations. The agency’s projections for water use take into account Clark County’s booming population.

Bronson Mack, a water authority spokesman, said the upgraded drought rating serves as “another example of why Southern Nevada’s water conservation efforts are important to building resiliency for the community and adapting to a hotter and drier future driven by climate change.”

Las Vegas’ metro area is largely regarded as a model for water conservation in the West, sometimes to the chagrin of some homeowners who believe water-saving measures and excessive use fees targeted at homeowners are an overreach. The water authority is still pushing for homeowners to convert their lawns, in exchange for a rebate.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X and @alanhalaly.bksy.social on Bluesky.