2006 statistics have been updated in this
section. A special feature covering an analysis of wind in
Albuquerque during
the
winter and summer
2006 has been added to the special features section.
What a difference one year
makes! In 2005, a major drought was underway across New Mexico and with
precipitation much less than normal the first half of 2006, the drought
worsened. Summer rains began in late June, as the monsoonal
flow developed early and continued into September. Heavy rains all
but erased the short term drought across the state as record rainfall
fell
in many locations during the summer months. The 2006 calendar year
ended up with a range of 100% to over 150% above normal precipitation
across the state, while temperatures across New Mexico averaged above
normal statewide.
This year's annual weather and climate review has a
new look. The review is organized into topics which are accessed by the
tabs across the top of the page. This page describes statistics for temperature
and precipitation in Albuquerque and across New Mexico. Note that the
information in some graphs is preliminary,
and in some
instances final data for December are not included. Other
topics
included in this review include a summary of the drought status,
a recap of the
Fire Weather and Hydrologic programs for 2006; a list of all the
records, extremes and the growing season around Albuquerque in 2006;
and a month to
month
recap of
the significant weather across New Mexico in 2006.
2006 Monthly Temperature and Precipitation Data
For Albuquerque
Monthly temperatures for Albuquerque
are illustrated in the charts below, with monthly average temperatures
for Albuquerque
in red, and both long term (purple)
and 30-year
(blue) normals in the top graph, with departures from 30-year
normals are shown in the bottom graph.
The first eight months of 2006
averaged above normal, while August through October and December (barely)
were below normal. January, April through June and November were well
above
normal
- all
by at least 3F degrees, while September was well
below (4.4F degrees) normal.
Average annual temperatures for Albuquerque
since 1931 are shown in the chart below. For the year, the average
annual temperature of 58.0F (the gold line) was 1.9 degrees above the
113 year average of 56.1F (the blue line), and 1.2 degrees above the
30 year normal of
56.8F (not shown). 2006 ranks as the 14th warmest year since complete
temperature records began
in 1893.
The 13 years with annual temperatures greater than 58F are highlighted
in red. The warmest
years
on
record
were 1954
and 1995,
when the
average temperature was 59.5F.
The average maximum temperature
in 2006 was 70.0F which was a little below the normal of
70.4F, while the average minimum temperature for the year
was 46.1F, which was 2.9F degrees above the normal of 43.2F.
As was the case in 2005, the well above normal minimum temperatures
in 2006 were a major contributor to the warmer than normal average
temperatures.
The Albuquerque Sunport measured 13.06 inches
of precipitation in 2006. The yearly total was 3.59 inches above the
30-year normal of 9.47 inches and 4.55 inches above the 114 year normal
of 8.51
inches. This makes 2006 the 6th wettest on record since 1931 (when records
were kept at the airport), and the 8th wettest since complete records
began in 1892.
By the end of May, it was hard to imagine finishing the year at the
6th wettest. For the seven month period from November 2005 through May
2006, there was only 0.41 inches of precipitation measured.
This broke the record for the driest November through May on record
(since 1892), The previous record occurred in November 1995 through
May 1996 when 0.60 inches was received at the Albuquerque Sunport.
The exceptional variability of precipitation in 2006
is clearly evident in the charts below, which depict monthly precipitation
(in orange)
compared
to normal, and the departures from normal. Only 0.31 inches of
precipitation
was measured through
the
first 5
months of 2006. This was
2.42 inches below normal. But the next 5 months, June through October,
received above normal precipitation, with July and August well
above normal. In fact, the
summer of 2006 (June through August)
will go down as the wettest of any summer on record, with an amazing
8.43
inches of rain. The previous record was 8.27 inches in 1933. November
only received a trace of precipitation while December was above normal,
thanks to the two major snowstorms which brought widespread snow
to New Mexico.
Snowfall for the year was 22.9 inches, which was 9.1 inches above
the 30 year normal of 13.8 inches. A record amount of
snow, 11.3 inches, was recorded on December 29. Not only was this
a record for December 29, but it was the most snow measured on
any calendar day at the Albuquerque Sunport. Nearly all the snow
for 2006 fell on December 19th (4.2 inches) and December
29-30th
(16.5
inches). The
22.9 inches this calendar year ranks
as the 6th snowiest on record. What a contrast December was to the January
through March period, for which snowpack was well below normal
(see the Hydrology section).
2006 Daily Temperature and Precipitation Data:
Albuquerque, Clayton and Roswell
As stated earlier, New Mexico experienced a very dry
period at the beginning of 2006. The Albuquerque Sunport experienced less
than ten percent of normal precipitation for the first 70 days of 2006,
and less than 20% through June 26th. These dry days also supported above
average temperatures through the first half of the year. Only once did
the 30-day moving average drop below normal in the early spring, mainly
due to a series of storm systems and associated fronts. From April through
mid-June, only a handful of days were below normal. By late June, the monsoon
season was in full force across New Mexico. Temperatures fell below normal
as several bouts of record breaking rains affected the area. While the
warmest 30-day moving average was approximately six or seven degrees above
normal in the spring, the trend line fell over four degrees below normal
by late summer and early fall. From August through mid-September, only
a few days experienced above normal average temperatures. Through this
period, rainfall shot the cumulative percent of normal well above 100%.
The percent of normal climbed as high as 150% on October 9th, before another
dry period from November through mid-December allowed the value to fall
to around 125%. The temperature trend line climbed briefly above normal
during this period, before a series of upper level storms and cold fronts
brought two significant late year snow events to the state. Average temperatures
fell below normal as 20.8 inches of snow fell during the latter half of
December, breaking daily and monthly records. This equated to over an inch
and a half of liquid, driving the cumulative percent of normal for precipitation
to 138% by December 31, 2006.
Comparing the temperature chart for Albuquerque to Clayton
and Roswell indicate some minor differences in the trends. Clayton is more
vulnerable to surface boundaries which barrel south through the front range
of the Rocky Mountains. This is especially apparent during the spring and
fall months, where average temperature swings can exceed thirty degrees
within 24 to 48 hours. Strong surface boundaries can easily be depicted
on the chart by looking for large spikes which deviate below the zero line.
Interestingly enough, Clayton’s warmest period in June allowed the
30-day moving average to climb nine degrees above normal. The below normal
period
for Clayton during the late summer and early fall was shorter and less
substantial compared to Albuquerque. Occasional storm systems through the
first half of the year allowed the cumulative percent of normal for precipitation
to stair step between 20 and 60 percent. The monsoon season was not as
substantial for Clayton as compared to the Albuquerque Sunport, which drove
the percent of normal only into the low-90 percent range. Significant snows
affected the region by mid to late December, which tallied 34.4 inches
for the month. The snowfall equated to over two and a half inches of liquid
equivalent. This drove the cumulative percent of normal to its highest
point of 99% on December 31, 2006, or 0.11 inches below normal for the
year.
The Roswell cumulative percent of normal for precipitation
generally remained below 40 percent through the first half of the year,
until the monsoon season kicked in. Periods of showers and storms allowed
the percentage to climb to around 75% by late August. In early September,
the remains of Hurricane John in the eastern Pacific Ocean swept across
the
southern
and
southeast
portions of New Mexico. Roswell received 2.45 inches of precipitation on
September 3rd, and 0.52 inches the following day. This allowed Roswell
to experience its first and only period with an above normal cumulative
precipitation (103%). The percent of normal slid to 86% by December 31st,
2006, with only a few significant wet periods from early to mid-October.
Unfortunately, the late December snow storms did not affect Roswell as
much as Clayton and Albuquerque. Only 1.8 inches fell during the month
of December. The temperature chart looks fairly comparable to Albuquerque.
From late April through mid-June, only two days experienced below average
temperatures (May 15th and 16th). Even though Roswell is located east of
the Rocky Mountains, the temperature variability with surface fronts is
not as noisy as compared to Clayton, with the most notable extremes generally
deviating 10 to 20 degrees from normal at Clayton and 5 to 15 degrees at
Roswell.
Statewide New Mexico Precipitation for 2006
For the year, 2006 New Mexico precipitation was above normal,
with a January through November ranking of the 90th wettest year of
112 years. As described for individual stations above, the distribution
of the precipitation
through
the year was exceptionally
variable,
and quite different than that of 2005. For all climate divisions, the period
January through May saw precipitation totals well below normal. However,
the active monsoon season is evident in all climate divisions with July
and/or August precipitation nearly double the normal across all but the
northwest plateau (Climate Division 1). Statewide, summer precipitation
ranked well above normal at 110 of 112. The fall season, September through
November, remained above
normal (86 of 112), even though
November
was
exceptionally dry across the state. Two snow storms in mid and late December
ended the dry spell much of New Mexico, particularly the northeast quarter
of the state. In exteme southwest New Mexico, the year finished with below
normal precipitation.
National Weather Service
Albuquerque Weather Forecast Office
2341 Clark Carr LP SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Ph: 505.243.0702
Web Master's Email: ABQ Webmaster
Page Author: WFO Albuquerque, NM
Date modified:
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National
Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
