Albuquerque, N.M. • The threat of wildfire in the American Southwest has been significantly dampened by the monsoon season, but national fire and climatology experts said Wednesday the region is still grappling with the long-term effects of drought.
The experts focused on the situation across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, which is currently home to the largest swath of severe and extreme drought in the U.S.
"Most of the West is dry," said Nancy Selover, Arizona's state climatologist. "You've got dust storms across Interstate 10 in southern New Mexico, and we've got really dry range conditions.