New Mexico Drought Status

Drought conditions across New Mexico did not substantially change from one month ago, according to the March 13 update of the U.S. Drought Monitor. A few spots of above-average precipitation occurred in the last month, but most of New Mexico received less than 75 percent of average precipitation. Some decent precipitation in the southwest corner of the state in late February helped upgrade severe drought conditions to moderate drought levels (Figure 5a). In spite of this, almost 80 percent of the state is experiencing moderate or a more severe drought category (Figure 5b). This pattern of widespread and intense drought conditions across New Mexico has persisted for almost 14 consecutive months. The last time New Mexico was generally drought-free was in October 2010, when abnormally dry conditions covered only 23 percent of the state.