Albuquerque July Precipitation: 2012 vs. 2013

What a difference a month makes! After July brought good rains to much of the Albuquerque Metro, the faucet has been reduced to a drip.  Most areas received less than one inch of rain! 

Since the only official station is at the Albuquerque Sunport, dedicated members of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network help fill in the gaps across Albuquerque. Below are two maps showing the distribution of precipitation across Albuquerque for August 2012 and August 2013.
 
ABQ August 2012 Precipitation ABQ August 2013 Precipitation

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 August 2012  August 2013  
     
Interestingly, the maps look pretty similar for August 2012 and August 2013.  The most obvious differences are portions of western Rio Rancho, which saw much more rainfall this year, and around the Albuquerque Sunport, which was much drier this year.
 
 

In contrast, here's a look back at 2006.  Using the same scale as the images above, August 2006 was literally "off the scale" in some portions of the Metro area.

 ABQ August 2006 Precipitation

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  August 2006  
 
Normal August precipitation at the Albuquerque Sunport is 1.58 inches.  This August, the Sunport received a measly 0.42 inches. In August of 2012, the Sunport received 1.62 inches, though most of the city received less. Below are tables for the wettest and driest August's on record since 1897.  The 0.42 inches of rain makes August 2013 the 10th driest August on record.
 
Top 5 Wettest August's Top 5 Driest August's
Precipitation Year Precipitation Year
3.74" 2006,1935 0.00" 1903
3.30" 1967 Trace 1962
3.29" 1988 0.08" 1950
3.25" 1940 0.13" 1900
3.05" 1933 0.17" 1938
 
To see how July 2012 and July 2013 compared, click here.
 
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