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Fire managers have restricted campfires in Arizona to limit the risk of human-caused fire following a wet winter.

Some fire restrictions ease ahead of the holiday weekend

Officials warn to always check restriction status before starting a fire.
Part of the Contreras Fire burning near the Kitt Peak Nationla Observatory on June 16, 2022.

Contreras Fire listed as 100% contained

Local management team will hand over control Saturday.
Snow hangs in Colorado's Elk Mountains in May 2022. The Colorado River gets the majority of its water from high-altitude snowpack, and climate scientists say it's likely that less water than normal will make it into rivers and streams.

For this summer's water forecast, climate experts are looking back to winter

Snow is the key to water in Arizona and other the Colorado River Basin states.

Adia Barnes on Teamwork and Motherhood.

Also on Arizona Spotlight:Can new technology save water on farms? Plus Chris Dashiell remembers Peter Bogdanovich, and a short story read by author Michelle Ross.
Lake Mead outside Las Vegas, Nevada, serves as the Colorado River's largest reservoir and a key water source for Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico.

Forecasters expect drier, warmer winter in Southwest

Drought conditions are expected to continue or worsen across Arizona over the coming months.
Canada del Oro wash looking east from the bridge on La Cholla during Monsoon 2021.

How the monsoon season impacted life in Southern Arizona, from wildfires to bugs

The National Weather Service said the monsoon season was the third-wettest that Tucson has seen since 1895, and it followed an exceptionally dry year.
Mated pair of Great Plains toads (Anaxyrus cognatus) in the floodplain of the Santa Cruz River.

The Desert Blooms in a Bountiful Monsoon.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Why the music of the rock group Fanny is rocking a whole new generation!
Soldier Canyon in the Catalina Mountains.

Measuring the Monsoon.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: 'Tis the season for mushroom hunters on Mount Lemmon; and "Gloria: A Life" returns to The Invisible Theatre.
This five day precipitation forecast map released by the National Weather Service on July 21, 2021 shows that much of the state's midsection is expected to get at least one inch of rainfall, with some areas receiving up to three inches, by Saturday night. Nearly all of the state is under a flash flood watch through 11:00 p.m. Saturday.

Flash flood watch through Saturday

NWS predicts 2006-style rainstorms into the weekend.
The sun shines harshly behind a saguaro cactus.

Low saguaro reproduction numbers at national park in Tucson

Drought cycle that dates to the mid-1990s thought to be responsible
The sun sets over Tucson in July 2020, which was the hottest July on record.

Tucson mayor asks community for help guiding climate action plan

A survey open through the end of March invites residents to prioritize actions city can take.
The view of the snowcapped Santa Catalina Mountains at Campbell Avenue and Skyline Drive in Tucson Jan. 25, 2020.

Winter storm could be 'most significant' of the season

Summerhaven sees 14 inches of snow, while an average two-tenths of rain fell on the Tucson Metro area Monday.
The sun sets over Tucson in July 2020, which was the hottest July on record.

Much of US Southwest left parched after monsoon season

Weather forecasters say the upcoming winter likely won't make up for the precipitation deficit.
In the 1990s, small, independent antique shops began to fold and dealers relocated into large antique malls. Midtown Antiques in Stillwater, Minnesota is likely the largest in the upper Midwest.

"Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Adiba Nelson shares an open love letter to all women, everywhere; and how UA scientists are understanding climate change through research in the Southern Ocean.
A drought map of the West dated Aug. 28, 2018.

Study: Four Corners drought intensified by human-induced warming

A researcher said the drought showed what climate change is like "in the here and now."
The crew of the whaling vessel Pequod, portrayed by Ryan Parker Knox, Christopher Pankratz, Aaron Shand and Eduardo Rodriguez, in The Rogue Theatre's stage adaptation of "Moby Dick".

The great white whale, sighted in Tucson!

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A conversation with ecologist Brad Lancaster; and the series "Youth Crossing Gender Borders" begins.

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