Drought — Southwest Mountains, New Mexico

2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Southwest Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

A continuation of a dry monsoon season and above normal temperatures allowed for the introduction of extreme drought conditions in the southern part of the zone.

Wider weather episode

The end of monsoon season for New Mexico saw continued near to below normal precipitation over much of the area. As a result, extreme drought expanded across sections of northwestern NM and into portions of the middle Rio Grande Valley that include the Albuquerque metro area. Exceptional drought developed over parts of Chaves County near Roswell.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1133851. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.