Drought in Southern Sangre De Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet, New Mexico

Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 15, 2018. The Santa Fe National Forest was closed at the end of May.

Widespread severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of April 2018 continued through May 2018. Severe drought expanded to nearly 90 percent of the state, of which 60 percent was deemed extreme drought or worse. Exceptional drought expanded to 18 percent of New Mexico. Spring runoff was nearly nonexistent at most river gages after record low snowpack at several key SNOTEL locations. Precipitation across central and western New Mexico was well below normal and temperatures were above normal. Spotty showers and thunderstorms impacted central and western New Mexico on a couple days however precipitation amounts were just a drop in the bucket compared to long-term deficits. Several back door frontal boundaries brought much needed showers and thunderstorms to parts of eastern New Mexico. Some areas of eastern New Mexico picked up between one and four inches of rainfall in May, along with a few bouts of severe hail and high winds. Some minor improvements were made to drought conditions along the Texas border. Periodic red flag conditions impacted nearly all of New Mexico during May 2018 which aided several new fire starts. The Buzzard Fire in western Catron County grew to over 30,000 acres after a hunter left a campfire abandoned. Nearly the entire state was in stage two fire restrictions and the entire Santa Fe National Forest was closed at the end of May.