Yes Virginia, we're still in a drought

By Jim Keyworth
Gazette Blog Editor

With the advent of several inches of rain over the Rim Country in the past 48 hours, we suspect your Payson Roundup is once again prepared to declare the 20-year drought that has devastated much of the Southwest null and void.

They've done it before after a rainy stretch.

Is it wishful thinking?  Does it help justify a pro-growth agenda?  Is it an excuse for raising nary an eyebrow over the Payson Town Council's suspect decision to grant a 49-year supply of Blue Ridge water to a private golf course in a gated community?

Pure speculation of  course, but we call your attention to this item in the Tuesday, Sept. 10 edition of The Arizona Republic.  The front page article, by Laurie Merrill and Brittany Bade, was headlined "Another wet, wild day as second storm strikes," and included this paragraph:

"Despite the moisture, meteorologists said it is unlikely the recent rainfall did much to counteract (the) drought, which last month was still considered to be "severe."

And incidentally, Merrill and Bade explained the statewide deluge thus:

"The lingering moisture stems from Tropical Storm Lorena, a decaying storm in the Pacific Ocean....  Upper level air flow brings the moisture here, where it combines with a typical monsoon storm to make a mightier storm."

To read the article, click on azcentral.com.

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