Drought in Southwest Mountains, New Mexico

Extreme drought remained persistent over the northwest and north central portion of the zone.

The month of March saw abysmally dry conditions alongside record heat stretch across much of the Desert Southwest, including New Mexico. Albuquerque in particular saw a record high average monthly temperature, roughly 6 degrees warmer than any other month on record. The record warmth and record low snow pack limiting snow melt and lack of precipitation otherwise allowed for a degradation of drought conditions across the state. Severe drought (D2) was introduced back to a significant segment of northeastern NM, and spreading further across northwestern and west-central NM. Extreme drought (D3) also spread across a portion of the Northwest Plateau and highlands area.