August may be a wet one
Monsoons arrive late; meteorologists believe moisture likely to increase through next two months
The monsoons got off to a late start in New Mexico, but the state could see one of its wettest Augusts in years, meteorologists with the National Weather Service said Monday.
“We don’t want to get too excited, but moisture could come into play this weekend,” said Clay Anderson of the weather service’s Albuquerque office. “We will see how it plays out. We could certainly benefit from a good, vigorous August.”
A cold front, coupled with Tropical Storm Franklin moving into New Mexico from the Caribbean and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, should bring more summer storms, meteorologists said.
Meteorologists said moisture is likely to increase through August and into September.
The pattern of late-afternoon storms that defines monsoon season was mostly absent through mid-July. For weeks, storm clouds would gather, but the rain would fall only in the mountains while the city of Santa Fe remained dry. But the end of the month brought more summer storms, cooling down mornings and afternoons.
Santa Fe received 2.61 inches of rain in July, compared to a normal of 1.7 inches for the month. The average high was nearly 90 degrees, which is above normal.
But as a whole, New Mexico was hotter and drier than normal.
The average high in Albuquerque in July was 92 degrees, which is above normal. The city recorded less than an inch of rain, off from an average of 1.5 inches for the month.
“This monsoon season, July 2017 in particular, has seen mixed results,” Anderson said. “Most of us probably feel like we haven’t had a lot of rain. … We expect that to even out with time.”
The most severe thunderstorms of the week in New Mexico were forecast for Monday evening into Tuesday, primarily on the eastern plains. Small, isolated storms were forecast across the state for the rest of the workweek, and temperatures were expected to be slightly above normal.
So far this monsoon season, there have been no recorded lightning-caused deaths in New Mexico. Eleven lightning deaths have occurred nationwide this year, the National Weather Service said. It advises remaining indoors for 30 minutes after hearing thunder.