Droughts Zoning Hormozgan province

Drought is a global phenomenon which can happen nearly everywhere and result in major economic, social and environmental costs and losses. In this study, annual precipitation data of 7 synoptic stations and 8 pluviometric stations in a 20 year period (1986-2005) were applied to investigate climatic droughts in Hormozgan province. After preparation of data, the intensity of drought was calculated using two statistical indices (percent index of normal precipitation and annual precipitation metric). Then, the results in each station were compared with its corresponding precipitation to select the best zoning method.
Finally, percent index of normal precipitation was selected as the best index for zoning drought. Results of the zoning indicated that in 1992, 1997, 1996, 1995 wet year was dominant in the area, while in 1993, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2005 average dry year covered a large part of the area and in 2001, 2003 very dry and extremely dry year was dominant. Drought does not show a specific trend considering its continuation, intensity and extent and lacks a homogeneous temporal and spatial distribution.