Precipitation during the first three weeks of April 2009 was generally above normal north of Interstate 40 in New Mexico, but near zero south of a line from Carlsbad to Roswell to Las Cruces and back toward Quemado.

Precipitation across New Mexico during March 2009 was well below normal across much of the central and west, while several eastern border counties received near normal rainfall. For the southern third of New Mexico, March was the third consecutive month of well below normal precipitation.

Snowpack water content in the northern New Mexico Mountains as of late April ranged from near normal in the Rio Chama Basin and Sangre de Cristo Mountains to less than 5 percent of normal in the Jemez River Basin.

The lack of moisture associated with storm systems passing through New Mexico through the first third of 2009 resulted in generally dry, warm, and breezy to windy conditions that have parched much of the south while gradually diminishing the extent and depth of the snowpack in the mountains.

As of late April, drought concerns continue to focus on southern New Mexico.

The current U.S. Drought Monitor map depiction of drought for New Mexico can be found at: the Drought Monitor web site.

The Mountainair Ranger District initiated Stage 1 fire restrictions on March 9th due to recent prolonged dry conditions across the Manzano and Gallinas Mountain regions.

The Kiowa National Grasslands in northeast New Mexico prohibits open fires as of March 4th, except in developed campgrounds.

The Navajo Nation retains fire restrictions on the reservation in northwest New Mexico where campfires are permitted only in developed recreation areas.

March 2009 was the third consecutive drier-than-normal month for much of the southern two thirds of New Mexico. Some sites with significant three month precipitation deficits to start 2009 (January through March) included:

3 Month Total Deficit

	Observed	Deficit
Las Vegas	0.42 inches	0.94 inches
Santa Rosa	0.45	0.95
Roswell	0.26	1.08
Carlsbad	0.29	0.92
Las Cruces	0.03	1.06
Ruidoso	0.93	2.61
Albuquerque	0.31	0.99

Water year 2009 precipitation (October 2008 – March 2009) is below normal for a statewide average (76 percent). The Northern Mountains climate division averaged 101 percent of normal precipitation while the Southern Desert climate division precipitation averaged only 36 percent of normal, and the Southeastern Plains reported 61 percent of normal.

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The near-uniformly dry conditions in the spring of 2008 left several regions with significant precipitation deficits through the first six months of last year. Drought conditions extended across much of the southeast two-thirds of the state by early July. Despite the near normal to abundant summer precipitation in most areas of the state, parts of Union County and far northeast Colfax County still reported moderate precipitation deficits as of the end of August. Persistent dry conditions in the northern portions of the state through November resulted in the continuation of a abnormally dry classification across north central and northeast New Mexico. By late November abnormally dry conditions spread to the northwest corner of the state. A snowy December over the northwest and north central areas eased the dry conditions, while the dry weather persisted in the northwest. The abnormally dry conditions spread south over most of the eastern plains by January and over southern portions of the state in February. The abnormally dry conditions continued over the east and south through March.

Generally dry conditions are likely to prevail across New Mexico through the end of April. Chances for spotty showers and thunderstorms should be limited to the eastern border counties through the remainder of April.

The precipitation outlook for May to mid June ranges from near normal conditions to drier than normal conditions for New Mexico.

For the latest weather forecast for the northern two thirds of New Mexico, please see the NWS WFO Albuquerque Forecast Map.

Reservoir storage is above normal at Abiquiu Lake, El Vado Lake, and Costilla Lake, while water levels were near normal at Heron Lake and Navajo Lake. Well below normal storage persists at Conchas Lake, Elephant Butte Lake, Bluewater Lake, Santa Rosa Lake, Sumner Lake and Caballo Lake.

This product will be updated in early May or sooner if necessary in response to significant changes in weather, water supply or drought conditions.

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. Information for this statement has been gather from the NWS and FAA observations sites, state cooperative extension services, the U.S. Geological Survey and other government agencies.