DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
1100 AM MDT THU SEP 11 2008
...MODERATE DROUGHT LINGERS IN UNION COUNTY...
SYNOPSIS...
THE NEW MEXICO SUMMER THUNDERSTORM SEASON HAS COME TO A GRADUAL END
...JUST ABOUT ON SCHEDULE. THE PRECIPITATION FOCUS TURNS TOWARD THE
POSSIBILITY OF TROPICAL MOISTURE INTRUSIONS DUE TO THE REMNANTS OF
WHAT HAD BEEN A TROPICAL STORM OR DEPRESSION. SUCH REMNANTS CAN
WORK THEIR WAY NORTHEAST INTO NEW MEXICO FROM THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA
OR FROM THE SOUTHEAST DUE TO THE WESTWARD MOVEMENT OF A HURRICANE
THAT MADE LANDFALL ALONG THE TEXAS GULF COAST. MOST YEARS NEITHER
SCENARIO PLAYS OUT...AS THE WEATHER PATTERN FROM EARLY SEPTEMBER
THROUGH EARLY OCTOBER IS DOMINATED BY MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS WITH
ONLY ISOLATED CONVECTIVE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE FIRST TRUE
COLD FRONTS OF THE FALL SEASON CAN ALSO BRING SHOWERS...MAINLY TO
THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN PARTS OF THE STATE.
AS WE TRANSITION TO AUTUMN...DROUGHT CONCERNS ARE MAINLY LIMITED
TO NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO.
THE CURRENT U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR MAP CAN BE FOUND AT...
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/dm_state.htm?nm,w
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
MOISTURE FROM SUMMER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAS ALLOWED ANY
FIRE RELATED RESTRICTIONS TO BE LIFTED FROM ALL STATE AND FEDERAL
RECREATIONAL LANDS.
THE NAVAJO NATION RETAINS FIRE RESTRICTIONS ON THE RESERVATION IN
NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO WHERE CAMPFIRES ARE PERMITTED ONLY IN
DEVELOPED RECREATION AREAS. SMOKING AND FIREWORKS ARE PROHIBITED.
THE ZUNI PUEBLO ENTERED RESTRICTIONS ON MAY 11. MOST OF THE
PUEBLOS IN NEW MEXICO REMAIN UNDER STAGE 1 FIRE RESTRICTIONS.
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
THE NEAR UNIFORMLY DRY CONDITIONS THIS SPRING LEFT SEVERAL REGIONS
WITH SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION DEFICITS THROUGH THE FIRST SIX
MONTHS OF THIS YEAR. DESPITE THE NEAR NORMAL TO ABUNDANT SUMMER
RAINFALL IN MOST AREAS OF THE STATE...PARTS OF UNION COUNTY AND
FAR NORTHEAST COLFAX COUNTY STILL REPORT MODERATE PRECIPITATION
DEFICITS.
A FEW PRECIPITATION STATISTICS FOR SELECT LOCATIONS THROUGH THE
FIRST 8 MONTHS OF 2008...
OBSERVED DEFICIT PERCENT OF NORMAL
PASAMONTE 9.68 INCHES 2.57 INCHES 79
GRENVILLE 11.02 2.41 82
AMISTAD 5SSW 9.44 2.36 80
RATON FILTER 9.81 4.00 71
SUMMER PRECIPITATION...JUNE THROUGH AUGUST...WAS WELL ABOVE NORMAL
IN SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...WHILE THE FOUR CORNERS
REGION OF SAN JUAN COUNTY REPORTED BELOW NORMAL SUMMER RAINFALL.
SOME NOTABLE SUMMER PRECIPITATION TOTALS AND RANKINGS...
TULAROSA 9.76 INCHES NEW SUMMER RECORD...WAS 8.79 IN 1988
WINSTON 16.34 INCHES NEW SUMMER RECORD...WAS 12.69 IN 2006
DEMING 8.68 INCHES MOST SINCE THE SUMMER OF 1986
T OR C 8.89 INCHES SECOND HIGHEST SUMMER TOTAL ON RECORD
CLOUDCROFT 19.34 INCHES THIRD HIGHEST SUMMER TOTAL ON RECORD
FORT BAYARD 12.47 INCHES THIRD HIGHEST SUMMER TOTAL ON RECORD
RUIDOSO 15.95 INCHES FOURTH HIGHEST SUMMER TOTAL ON RECORD
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOKS...
THE MONSOON SEASON ACTIVITY OF DAILY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS HAS FADED AWAY. THE ONSET OF WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT
TENDS TO BRING DRIER AND COOLER AIR TO MUCH OF NEW MEXICO.
LA NINA CONDITIONS...WHICH WERE PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
MEAGER SPRING PRECIPITATION REPORTED ACROSS MUCH OF NEW MEXICO...
HAD FADED TO ENSO NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ACROSS THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC
OCEAN REGIONS BY MID SUMMER. ENSO NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
TO PERSIST THROUGH THE END OF 2008. LOOKING BEYOND THE END OF 2008
...A HISTORICAL TENDENCY FOR MULTI-YEAR LA NINA EPISODES WOULD
IMPLY THAT A RETURN TO WEAK LA NINA CONDITIONS IS POSSIBLE.
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF
NEW MEXICO, PLEASE SEE THE NWS WFO ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE AT...
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
RESERVOIR STORAGE IS ABOVE NORMAL AT ABIQUIU LAKE...EL VADO
LAKE AND COSTILLA LAKE...WHILE WATER LEVELS WERE CLOSE TO.
NORMAL AT EAGLE NEST LAKE...NAVAJO LAKE...AND HERON LAKE.
WELL BELOW NORMAL STORAGE PERSISTS AT CONCHAS LAKE...ELEPHANT
BUTTE LAKE...BLUEWATER LAKE...SANTA ROSA LAKE AND SUMNER LAKE.
NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...
THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED IN LATE SEPTEMBER OR SOONER IF
NECESSARY IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN WEATHER...
WATER SUPPLY...OR DROUGHT CONDITIONS.
RELATED WEB SITES...
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT OR PAST DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY
BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
NWS PRECIPITATION ANALYSIS PAGE...
http://water.weather.gov
PUBLIC LANDS INFORMATION CENTER...
http://publiclands.org/firenews/pressreleases/nm.php
CLIMATOLOGY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY LINKS...
http://www.drought.unl.edu/whatis/climlinks.htm
WESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER...
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
ADDITIONAL RIVER INFORMATION...
NWS.... http://ahps.srh.noaa.gov/index.php?wfo=abq
USGS... http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nm/nwis/current?type=flow
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...
THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING
THE NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA
CENTER...THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTERS AND
THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT
INFORMATION STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
2341 CLARK CARR LOOP SE
ALBUQUERQUE NM 87106
PHONE...505-244-9147
SR-ABQ.webmaster@noaa.gov