Drought — West Central Highlands, New Mexico

2023-10-01 to 2023-10-31 · West Central Highlands, New Mexico

Event narrative

A dry and warm October resulted in the persistence of severe drought conditions in the central part of the zone and extreme drought conditions in the northern part of the zone.

Wider weather episode

A very dry and warm October after a record dry monsoon season allowed drought conditions to persist across New Mexico. Generally, drought conditions remained steady. A patch of exceptional drought was introduced in the northwest highlands and northwest Jemez mountains, and severe drought conditions expanded eastward across east central New Mexico.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1139238. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.