National Park Service

Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border.

Last week’s storm did little to ease the drought in Arizona’s reservoirs. But there’s still plenty of winter left.

The Bureau of Reclamation makes two-year projections, based on weather and water levels in Colorado River reservoirs, and its most recent projections have been dire.

That could set the stage for an Arizona water shortage in 2022. Snowpack in the mountains is now 69% of normal, but Patti Aaron, a spokeswoman for the bureau, says a little snow could go a long way.

"This early in the season a little bit can change that percentage quite a bit," she said, "so there’s still just a great deal of uncertainty and variability right now."

The water level at Lake Mead is about 40%.