Drought still grips the region as snow falls
Snow blanketed parts of Taos County and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains early in the week, adding to hopes the precipitation will soften the severe drought conditions gripping the region.
Red River snow telemetry and ski sites reported 1 to 5 inches of snow from the storm that swept through Monday and Tuesday (Jan. 25-26), according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. Trained weather observers reported 7 inches of fresh powder at Shady Brook and between 2.8 and 4 inches in the Taos Valley. Parts of the Peñasco Valley reported up to 8 inches of new snow.
How much the snow affects drought in the region won’t show up on the U.S. Drought Monitor until today (Jan. 28). The reports for drought conditions nationally are updated each Thursday by a partnership of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The last Drought Monitor map of Jan. 21 showed Taos County split between extreme and exceptional drought – the two worst levels. More than half the state was in exceptional drought condition compared to only 7 percent three months prior.
A year ago at this time, zero percent of the county state was on severe drought conditions, thanks to ample winter moisture.
Snowpack in New Mexico’s mountains accounts for most of the water flow in the state’s rivers as the snow melts. The better the snowpack, the better a spring runoff for rafters, farmers and cities that depend on the water. The first Water Supply Forecast of 2021, published by the Natural Resources Conservation Service on Jan. 1, painted a not-too-bright picture for water levels at the end of December. Most water basins, including the Upper Río Grande that flow through Taos County, were well below average for the month of December and about 66 percent of the average since October. The snowpack at the end of December was a little above half the average.
“Due to the poor summer monsoon season, New Mexico is headed into the winter with soil moisture levels well below average. Unless significant snowfall accumulates during the remainder of the season, these soil moisture levels will negatively impact spring runoff,” according to the report.
Recent snows could improve the next water supply forecast due out Feb. 1.
The National Weather Service predicts a 50 percent chance of snow Friday (Jan. 29) and 10 percent Saturday.