One major benefit of the recent strong rain storms is that parts of Arizona are starting to recover from the drought.
While much of the state is still under an "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, the intensity of the drought is slowly starting to lessen, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Much of the improvement can be seen in the southern parts of Arizona.
Last week, 58% of the state was under an exceptional drought. As of Tuesday, July 20, 36% of the state was under an exceptional drought.
The drought is also partially responsible for the recent flash floods, according to KVOA. Dry soil is less absorbent than regular soil, so it takes longer for heavy rain to naturally drain.
The heavy rains help, but meteorologists say gentle rains over a longer period of time would be more beneficial.
Arizonans, however, can expect another round of heavy rain staring on Thursday afternoon. The National Weather service issued multiple flash flood watches for south and central Arizona counties.
The affected counties are:
- Gila, Yavapai from July 22 at 11 a.m. until July 24 at 11 p.m.
- Apache, Coconino, Navajo from July 22 at 12 p.m. until July 25 at 12 a.m.
- Maricopa, Pinal from July 22 at 5 p.m. until July 24 at 11 p.m.
- Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Santa Cruz from July 22 at 6 p.m. until July 24 at 11 p.m.