Rain is Good, But Not Relieving Drought in Arizona

PHOENIX - You hear the numbers and it sounds really good for the valley.  The most impressive statistic - in the first two months of the year, we've received more rain that we did all of last year.

In 2009, the valley received 3.26" of rain. So far in 2010, we've received 4.15".

So here's the reality check from an expert on water in our state.  Rita Maguire, the former director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, says the rain is good, but we're no where near relieving our serious drought condition.  In fact, two of our important storage lakes for water, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are only half full.

More rain is expected on Tuesday.  Maguire says we would need several wet years like this to fill those reservoirs.

On the Net:

ADWR - Arizona Dept. of Water Resources: www.azwater.gov

Cory McCloskey's Forecast: [Press play to watch video]