New Mexico Drought Status

Drought conditions have improved slightly from one month ago, particularly in southwest New Mexico. In this region, exceptional drought is no longer present, and extreme drought only covers a sliver on the Arizona-New Mexico boarder (Figure 5a). However, 91 percent of the state is still classified with abnormally dry conditions or a more severe drought category, according to the December 13 update of the U.S. Drought Monitor (Figure 5b).

Several early winter storms in late November and early December dropped several inches of precipitation on parts of Grant and Luna counties in far southwest New Mexico. These amounts are two to four times above average for this time of year and have helped improve drought conditions that had been classified as extreme since last winter. These storms, however, missed eastern parts of the state. In the last 30 days, less than a quarter-inch of precipitation, or less than 25 percent of average, has fallen in this region. With the expectation that a weak to moderate La Niña will continue into next year, drier-than-average conditions are still favored in most of New Mexico into the spring (see page 14).