Drought in New Mexico, May 1 to 31, 2002

Name: Drought in New Mexico, May 1 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-05-01T00:01
End: 2002-05-31T23:59
Location: New Mexico

May 1 to 31, 2002 · NWS ABQ · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

Drought conditions persisted through the month maintaining the high fire danger all across the region and forcing widespread sell offs of cattle since rangelands carried practically no spring grasses. Worries about an early cut-off of irrigation continued as snowmelt runoff peaked at near record low flows.

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.

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 Apr 30, 8:10 PM MST, 3 hours 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 8:10 PM MST, 3 hours 51 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
910 PM MDT TUE APR 30 2002

EVENING UPDATE TO ADD MORE CLOUDS TO OVERNIGHT PERIOD AS WATER VAPOR
SHOWS MOISTURE STREAMING IN FROM THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST. ALSO
SUSPECT WINDS MAY NOT TOTALLY DIE DOWN OVERNIGHT PORTIONS OF THE
CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN...AND ADDED LAKE WIND CAUTIONS TO APPROPRIATE
ZONES.

.ABQ...WIND ADVISORY WEDNESDAY ZONES 2>21...26.

Event by event

22 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Northwest Plateau

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northwest Plateau forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Capitan/Northern Sacramento Mountains

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Capitan/Northern Sacramento Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Chaves County Plains

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Chaves County Plains forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Conchas Lake/Guadalupe

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Conchas Lake/Guadalupe forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Curry

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Curry forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, De Baca

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: De Baca forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Far Northeast Plains

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Far Northeast Plains forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Guadalupe Mountains of Chaves County

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Guadalupe Mountains of Chaves County forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Harding

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Harding forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Lincoln County High Plains/Hondo Valley

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Lincoln County High Plains/Hondo Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Lower Rio Grande Valley

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Lower Rio Grande Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Middle Rio Grande Valley

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Middle Rio Grande Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Northeast Highlands

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Northwest Mountains Including Jemez

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Northwest Mountains Including Jemez forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Quay

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Quay forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Roosevelt

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Sandia/Manzano Mountains

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Sandia/Manzano Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Southwest Mountains/Upper Gila Region

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Southwest Mountains/Upper Gila Region forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Upper Rio Grande Valley

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Upper Rio Grande Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Drought, Westcentral Mountains

When: May 1, 12:01 AM MST to May 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Westcentral Mountains 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

Every storm in New Mexico in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, May 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: 5288229, 5288230, 5288231, 5288232, 5288233, 5288234, 5288235, 5288236, 5288237, 5288238, 5288239, 5288240, 5288241, 5288242, 5288243, 5288244, 5288245, 5288246, 5288247, 5288248, 5288326, 5288327.