Near average rainfall for many areas kept drought conditions the same in May. The one change was in northern Sierra county where there was slightly below normal precipitation and the area was put in Extreme(D3) drought.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS EPZ wrote it up.
Near average rainfall for many areas kept drought conditions the same in May. The one change was in northern Sierra county where there was slightly below normal precipitation and the area was put in Extreme(D3) drought.
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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 9:53 PM MST, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service El Paso TX/Santa Teresa NM 1053 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2026 ...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1014 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2026 - Widespread rain showers and thunderstorms expected overnight into Friday morning. - A backdoor cold front will bring cooler temperatures and breezy east winds over the weekend, with scattered afternoon showers possible over northern areas. - Breezy west flow returns Monday and Tuesday, and a few showers and thunderstorms may return to southwestern New Mexico Tuesday afternoon. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1014 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2026 A cutoff low is quickly moving west to east just south of the Int'l Border and will continue to bring rain showers and even some thunderstorms will be possible tonight. Models continue to suggest a heavier band of precipitation to begin just after midnight tonight spanning through the overnight hours but the bulk of rain will have moved east and out of the area by the mid- morning hours. Meanwhile, a backdoor cold front will push into the northern portions of the CWA by around sunrise on Friday. Showers along and behind the front possible with the frontal passage. Showers and thunderstorms possible again Friday afternoon for the Gila region and locations west of the Rio Grande. By Friday night, a secondary resurgence of the front is expected with some breezy east winds. Another trough will drop south out of the Great Basin area, which is what will give us another round of low end rain Saturday morning and into the afternoon. The area mountains and locations in the northern portion of the CWA will have the best shot to see rain. Ridging will build in on Sunday, but east winds at the surface will still have some surface moisture trapped underneath. Dewpoints look to be in the 40s Sunday afternoon which could be enough with daytime heating to allow for some low end chances of showers and thunderstorms. Heading into early next week, it looks active again. Another large upper trough off the coast of the western CONUS looks to bring us another shot of rain and breezy to windy conditions. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1014 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2026 Rain showers will become more widespread overnight. Models continue to suggest a band of heavier rain with embedded thunderstorms pushing west to east starting in the next few hours. The bulk of heaviest precipitation will have moved eastward by sunrise. Lingering showery activity expected by the middle of the morning and will transition to thunderstorms by the afternoon. All terminals except KELP has a chance to see a thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon. A cold front will start pushing in by the middle of the morning from the north, shifting winds northeasterly and then easterly. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 230 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2026 Fire weather concerns will be minimal the next few days, as widespread rain showers are expected, along with a back door cold front that will knock temperatures down to about 15 degrees below normal for Friday and Saturday. Soaking rainfall will mostly favor the southern New Mexico lowlands and areas east of the Rio Grande, with up to an inch of rain possible in parts of Otero and Hudspeth Counties. A sharp gradient in precip amounts will setup over the southern Gila Region, with minimal amounts over parts of Catron County. Breezy to windy conditions return Monday and Tuesday, but the recent rainfall will mitigate concerns and keep RH values elevated. But caution is noted as the parts of the Gila may miss out on the more significant rainfall. Some showers and thunderstorms are possible on Tuesday over southwestern New Mexico, including the Gila. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... El Paso 53 68 50 71 / 100 60 20 0 Sierra Blanca 48 62 43 66 / 90 70 20 10 Las Cruces 48 67 45 69 / 90 50 40 10 Alamogordo 49 64 43 67 / 90 80 30 20 Cloudcroft 32 40 29 46 / 90 90 40 30 Truth or Consequences 51 67 47 67 / 30 60 40 30 Silver City 43 68 42 66 / 60 60 40 20 Deming 49 74 47 72 / 80 60 40 10 Lordsburg 48 75 47 72 / 70 20 10 0 West El Paso Metro 55 66 50 70 / 100 60 20 0 Dell City 49 61 44 67 / 90 80 30 10 Fort Hancock 54 70 48 74 / 90 70 20 0 Loma Linda 47 58 42 63 / 100 70 20 10 Fabens 54 68 48 73 / 100 60 20 0 Santa Teresa 51 66 47 69 / 100 50 30 0 White Sands HQ 54 65 50 69 / 90 70 40 10 Jornada Range 49 67 44 69 / 80 50 50 20 Hatch 51 72 47 71 / 70 60 50 20 Columbus 53 74 49 73 / 90 30 30 10 Orogrande 50 63 45 66 / 90 80 30 10 Mayhill 36 49 32 57 / 90 90 50 20 Mescalero 37 50 32 58 / 90 90 40 30 Timberon 36 49 32 54 / 90 80 40 20 Winston 39 61 37 60 / 30 60 50 40 Hillsboro 48 67 45 66 / 50 60 50 30 Spaceport 49 68 44 67 / 50 60 40 20 Lake Roberts 39 68 38 66 / 50 60 50 30 Hurley 43 69 41 68 / 60 60 30 20 Cliff 45 76 46 74 / 50 40 20 20 Mule Creek 42 74 43 71 / 40 20 20 20 Faywood 46 67 42 66 / 70 70 40 20 Animas 48 76 48 74 / 90 10 10 0 Hachita 47 73 46 71 / 90 20 20 10 Antelope Wells 47 74 47 73 / 90 10 20 0 Cloverdale 45 70 46 70 / 90 10 10 0 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. NM...None. && FORECASTER...37-Slusher
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The entire zone remained in Severe(D2) drought through the month of May. The Cliff Cooperative Observer reported 0.36 inches of precipitation which was 0.03 inches below normal.
Severe(D2) drought continued through the month of May.
Severe(D2) drought continued for the entire zone except the far west where Moderate(D1) drought remained. The Cooperative Observer at Redrock received 0.46 inches of precipitation which was 0.04 inches above normal.
The far western portion of the zone remained in Moderate(D1) drought, but the remainder of the zone stayed in Severe(D2) drought. The Cooperative Observer at Antelope Wells reported 0.62 inches of precipitation which was 0.38 inches above normal.
Severe(D2) drought continued across the zone except for the far west where Moderate(D1) drought remained in place.
Drought conditions across the zone ranged from Severe(D2) drought over the west to Abnormally Dry(D0) drought over the southeast. The Deming Airport recorded 0.27 inches of precipitation which was 0.12 inches above normal.
The entire zone remained in Severe(D2) drought in May. The Hillsboro Cooperative Observer reported 0.23 inches of precipitation which was 0.23 inches below normal.
The month started out with Severe(D2) drought over all areas of the zone except the southeast where Moderate(D1) drought was present. By the end of the month, drought conditions ranged from Extreme(D3) drought over the northwest to Moderate(D1) drought southeast. The Truth or Consequences Airport reported 0.21 inches of precipitation which was 0.34 inches below normal.
Severe(D2) drought continued over the north while the south remained in Moderate(D1) drought. The Mountain Park Cooperative Observer reported 0.80 inches of precipitation which was 0.04 inches below normal.
Severe(D2) drought continued over the northern half of the zone while the south remained in Moderate(D1) drought. The Cloudcroft Cooperative Observer reported 1.37 inches of precipitation which was 0.15 inches above normal.
Severe(D2) drought continued over the northern half of the zone while the south remained in Moderate(D1) drought. The Elk Cooperative Observer received 1.81 inches of precipitation which was 0.82 inches above normal.
Severe(D2) drought continued across the entire zone in May. The White Signal Cooperative Observer reported 0.23 inches which was 0.15 inches below normal.
Severe(D2) drought continued across the zone in May.
Severe(D2) drought remained over the far northern portions of the zone while Moderate(D1) drought existed elsewhere. The White Sands National Park Cooperative Observer reported 0.63 inches of precipitation which was 0.18 inches above normal.
The northern half of the zone remained in Severe(D2) drought while the south remained in Moderate(D1) drought.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, May 2026
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: 1340938, 1340939, 1340940, 1340941, 1340942, 1340943, 1340944, 1340945, 1340946, 1340947, 1340948, 1340949, 1340950, 1340951, 1340952.