The information presented here highlights the findings of a drought history study in support of the Governor's Drought Task Force activities, such as determining triggers for drought mitigation and response actions, based on observed hydroclimatic and other information. The material is intended to provide the relevant climatology background for non-specialists, and it is presented in a top ten or frequently asked question format. The questions and answers cover the major climate-related aspects of drought including long-term averages, seasonality, interannual and long-term spatial and temporal drought variations, extremes, and causes of climatic variability. The answers to each question include bulleted Quick Answers followed by a concise explanation of more detailed information. Example figures are presented within the text.

Conventional wisdom often views the urban water sector as being among the more sensitive sectors in the arid U.S. Southwest. To test this assumption, the Climate Assessment Project for the Southwest analyzed the water budgets of five Arizona cities to determine how severe the impacts would be from the deepest one-, five-, and ten-year droughts on record. Case study sites for the analysis included the Phoenix Active Management Area, Tucson Active Management Area, Santa Cruz Active Management Area, and the Benson and Sierra Vista subwatersheds of the San Pedro River.