New Mexico, 2002

Drought in New Mexico, February 1 to 28, 2002

February 1 to 28, 2002 · NWS ABQ · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

Although the region saw several small snows during the month, drying winds quickly sapped available moisture leaving mountain and forest areas will lighter than normal snow pack. Prospects for suitable spring snow melt runoff already look dim.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ABQ wrote it up.

Although the region saw several small snows during the month, drying winds quickly sapped available moisture leaving mountain and forest areas will lighter than normal snow pack. Prospects for suitable spring snow melt runoff already look dim. An extended and early fire danger season looms in the future, while cities and irrigation districts are already planning reduced water availability. Lingering drought conditions extend across the rangelands from the Arizona border east to Texas with Lincoln County reporting a steady decline in the number of active ranches as the multi-year drought prompts owners to completely sell off their livestock.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Albuquerque, NM wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 9:00 PM MST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 9:00 PM MST, 3 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
900 PM MST THU JAN 31 2002

BRRRRRR. TEMPS PLUMMETING UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS AND OVER FRESH SNOW
COVER. SKY CLEAR EXCEPT FOR THIN HIGH CLOUDS MOVING INTO THE NW.
WINDS GENERALLY LIGHT. WILL DROP TEMPS SEVERAL LOCATIONS ESPECIALLY
NRN MOUNTAINS. ALREADY MINUS 4 AT TAOS...ALTHOUGH BAND OF HIGH CLOUDS
TO MOVE OVER THEM NEXT HOUR OR TWO. BESIDES THE COLD TEMPS...SUSPECT
SOME DENSE FOG TO DEVELOP. NOTHING YET AND IT WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL
AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOOKS MOST PROMISING IN THE E WHERE TEMP AND
DEWPOINTS WITHIN A FEW DEGREES ALREADY.

.ABQ...NONE.

CHJ

Event by event

22 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Capitan/Northern Sacramento Mountains / Sc Lincoln

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Capitan/Northern Sacramento Mountains / Sc Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County / Se Santa Fe / W San Miguel / Torrance Except X W / E Socorro

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County / Se Santa Fe / W San Miguel / Torrance Except X W / E Socorro forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Chaves County Plains / Chaves Except X Sw

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Chaves County Plains / Chaves Except X Sw forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Conchas Lake/Guadalupe / E San Miguel / Guadalupe

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Conchas Lake/Guadalupe / E San Miguel / Guadalupe forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Curry

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Curry forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, De Baca

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
De Baca forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Far Northeast Plains / Union Except X Nw / X Se Colfax

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Far Northeast Plains / Union Except X Nw / X Se Colfax forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Guadalupe Mountains of Chaves County / X Sw Chaves

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Guadalupe Mountains of Chaves County / X Sw Chaves forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Harding

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Harding forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Lincoln County High Plains/Hondo Valley / Lincoln Except Sc

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County High Plains/Hondo Valley / Lincoln Except Sc forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Lower Rio Grande Valley / Part of C and E Socorro

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Lower Rio Grande Valley / Part of C and E Socorro forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Middle Rio Grande Valley / X Sc Sanduval / Valencia Except X E / X E Cibola / Bernalillo Except E and X Nw

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Middle Rio Grande Valley / X Sc Sanduval / Valencia Except X E / X E Cibola / Bernalillo Except E and X Nw forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Northeast Highlands / All But X W and X Se Colfax / All But X W Mora / C San Miguel / X Nw Union

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Northeast Highlands / All But X W and X Se Colfax / All But X W Mora / C San Miguel / X Nw Union forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Northwest Mountains Including Jemez / Rio Arriba Except X Se / Sanduval Except Se and X Sw / Los Alamos / Ne McKinley / Se San Juan / X Nw Santa Fe

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Northwest Mountains Including Jemez / Rio Arriba Except X Se / Sanduval Except Se and X Sw / Los Alamos / Ne McKinley / Se San Juan / X Nw Santa Fe forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Northwest Plateau / San Juan Except X Sw and Se / Nc McKinley

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Northwest Plateau / San Juan Except X Sw and Se / Nc McKinley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Quay

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Quay forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Roosevelt

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Sandia/Manzano Mountains / Most of W Santa Fe / E Bernalillo / X Se Sanduval / X W Torrance / E Valencia / Part of E Socorro

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Sandia/Manzano Mountains / Most of W Santa Fe / E Bernalillo / X Se Sanduval / X W Torrance / E Valencia / Part of E Socorro forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Sangre de Cristo Mountains / Taos / X W Mora / X Se Rio Arriba / Ne Santa Fe / X W Colfax / X Nw San Miguel

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Sangre de Cristo Mountains / Taos / X W Mora / X Se Rio Arriba / Ne Santa Fe / X W Colfax / X Nw San Miguel forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Southwest Mountains/Upper Gila Region / Catron Except N / Part of W Socorro

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Southwest Mountains/Upper Gila Region / Catron Except N / Part of W Socorro forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Upper Rio Grande Valley / Nw Santa Fe / Part of Se Rio Arriba / Part of Se Sanduval

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Upper Rio Grande Valley / Nw Santa Fe / Part of Se Rio Arriba / Part of Se Sanduval forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Westcentral Mountains / McKinley Except Nc and Ne / Cibola Except X E / N Catron / X Sw Sanduval / X Nw Bernalillo / X Nw Socorro

When
February 1, 12:00 AM MST to February 28, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Westcentral Mountains / McKinley Except Nc and Ne / Cibola Except X E / N Catron / X Sw Sanduval / X Nw Bernalillo / X Nw Socorro forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, February 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5283493, 5283494, 5283495, 5283496, 5283497, 5283498, 5283499, 5283500, 5283501, 5283502, 5283503, 5283504, 5283505, 5283506, 5283507, 5283508, 5283590, 5283591, 5283592, 5283593, 5283594, 5283595.