1998-99 WINTER PRECIPITATION IN NEW MEXICO

Ed Polasko

National Weather Service Albuquerque, NM

The following table shows accumulated precipitation data and departure from normal for locations across New Mexico during the 1998-99 winter (December-February) season. A map is available here. 

Above normal winter precipitation in the east central plains was mainly due to the major snowstorm that occurred in that area at the end of January. This one storm generated more precipitation than would normally occur in an average winter at each of the following sites: Tucumcari 4NE, Clovis, Clovis 13N, Fort Sumner 5S, San Jon, and Canton.

Winter precipitation in general was less than 75 percent of normal from the central mountain chain westward to the Arizona state line. Much of western New Mexico received less than 50 percent of normal winter precipitation.

February 1999 precipitation for all stations was only 9 percent of February normal. Only Cerro at 61 percent of normal, Chama at 66 percent of normal, and Red River at 73 percent of normal, received more than 50 percent of their normal February precipitation. The vast majority of reporting stations in southern and eastern New Mexico received no measurable precipitation during February 1999.

Station Normal Actual % of Normal

ABBOTT

0.77

0.17

22

ABIQUIU DAM

0.97

0.26

27

ALAMOGORDO

2.03

0.72

35

ALBUQUERQUE AIRPORT

1.40

0.34

24

ALCALDE

1.21

0.37

31

ALEMAN RANCH

1.48

0.65

44

AMISTAD 3ESE

0.92

0.44

48

ANIMAS

2.27

0.59

26

AUGUSTINE 2E

1.32

1.08

82

AZTEC RUINS

2.55

0.87

34

BEAVERHEAD R/S

2.89

0.23

8

BELL RANCH

0.95

0.52

55

BERNARDO

1.05

0.28

27

BINGHAM 2NE

1.41

1.21

86

BITTER LAKES NWR*

1.40

1.68

120

BLACK LAKE

2.84

1.32

46

BLOOMFIELD

1.86

0.15

8

BOSQUE DEL APACHE

1.41

0.20

14

BRAZOS LODGE

6.14

2.70

44

BUCKHORN

3.31

0.41

12

CABALLO DAM

1.48

0.37

25

CANJILON R/S*

2.92

1.24

42

CANTON

1.31

2.10

160

CAPITAN

1.34

1.03

77

CAPULIN/DES MOINES

1.44

0.93

65

CARLSBAD AIRPORT

1.11

0.76

68

CARLSBAD CAVERNS

1.38

0.51

37

CARRIZOZO

1.93

0.82

42

CERRO

1.84

1.17

64

CHACO CANYON N/M

1.68

0.58

35

CHACON

2.65

1.20

45

CHAMA

5.15

2.03

39

CLAYTON

0.84

0.48

57

CLIFF 11SE

3.20

0.60

19

CLOVIS

1.44

1.95

135

CLOVIS 13N

1.12

1.61

144

COCHITI DAM

1.72

0.09

5

COLUMBUS

1.64

0.05

3

CONCHAS DAM

1.20

0.51

43

CORONA 10SW

2.14

1.42

66

CORRALES

1.43

0.20

14

CUBA

2.23

0.24

11

CUBERO

1.45

0.06

4

DEMING AIRPORT

1.83

0.37

20

DILIA

1.66

1.41

85

DULCE

4.06

1.16

29

EAGLE NEST

2.22

0.56

25

EL MORRO N/M

3.06

0.43

14

EL RITO

1.94

0.39

20

EL VADO DAM

2.70

0.74

27

ELIDA

1.29

1.27

98

ESTANCIA

2.05

0.69

34

FARMINGTON AG CENTER

1.80

0.25

14

FARMINGTON AIRPORT

1.91

0.36

19

FAYWOOD

2.20

0.43

20

FENCE LAKE

3.16

0.67

21

FORT BAYARD

2.55

0.99

39

FORT SUMNER

1.28

1.43

112

FORT SUMNER 5S

1.23

1.93

157

FRUITLAND

1.91

0.3

116

GAGE 4ESE

2.13

0.38

18

GALLUP AIRPORT

2.50

0.87

35

GASCON

3.23

0.69

21

GHOST RANCH

1.67

0.40

24

GILA HOT SPRINGS

3.24

0.96

30

GLENWOOD

3.78

0.80

21

GOLDEN

2.22

0.65

29

GRAN QUIVIRA N/M

2.62

1.15

44

GRANTS AIRPORT

1.66

0.56

34

GRENVILLE

0.89

0.44

49

HATCH

1.73

0.60

35

HATCHITA

2.06

0.69

33

HILLSBORO

2.01

0.60

30

HOBBS

1.56

0.34

22

HOPE

1.42

1.12

79

JEMEZ DAM

1.19

0.33

28

JEMEZ SPRINGS

2.99

0.38

13

JOHNSON RANCH

1.90

0.41

22

JORNADO EXP RANGE

1.64

0.65

40

KELLY RANCH

1.85

0.11

6

LAGUNA

1.50

0.35

23

LAKE MALOYA

3.05

2.80

92

LAS CRUCES NMSU

1.51

0.26

17

LAS VEGAS AIRPORT

1.18

0.28

24

LAS VEGAS PLANT

1.42

0.14

10

LORDSBURG 4SE

2.63

0.78

30

LOS ALAMOS

2.74

0.28

10

LOS LUNAS

1.26

0.41

33

LUNA R/S

2.85

0.91

32

LYBROOK

1.89

0.10

5

MALJAMAR 4SE

1.53

1.38

111

MAXWELL NWR

0.89

0.14

16

MELROSE

1.37

1.06

77

McGAFFEY 4SE

4.75

0.77

16

MIMBRES R/S

3.00

2.09

70

MORIARTY

1.60

0.34

21

MOSQUERO

1.21

0.58

48

MOUNTAINAIR

2.58

0.87

34

NAVAJO DAM

3.16

0.95

30

NEWKIRK

1.19

1.05

88

OCATE

1.11

0.48

43

OROGRANDE

1.45

1.12

77

PASAMONTE

0.82

0.30

37

PECOS N/M

2.12

0.58

27

PEDERNAL 4E

1.22

1.00

82

PICACHO 2WSW

1.30

1.08

83

PORTALES

1.41

1.28

91

PROGRESSO

2.03

1.11

55

QUEMADO

1.70

0.16

9

RAGLAND 3SSW

1.56

1.68

108

RAMON 8SW

1.25

1.59

127

RATON FILTER PLANT

1.59

1.21

76

RED RIVER

3.54

1.64

46

REDROCK

2.85

0.44

15

REINHARDT RANCH

1.00

0.80

80

RESERVE R/S

3.41

0.48

14

ROSWELL

1.26

1.41

112

ROY

1.22

0.80

66

RUIDOSO

4.04

2.03

50

SAN JON

1.48

2.68

181

SANDIA PARK

3.79

1.27

34

SANTA FE 2

1.98

0.19

10

SANTA ROSA

1.45

1.81

125

SILVER CITY

3.61

0.84

23

SOCORRO

1.36

0.29

21

SPRINGER

1.08

0.86

80

STANLEY

1.31

0.60

46

STAR LAKE

1.21

0.39

32

SUMNER LAKE

1.13

0.78

69

TAOS

1.90

0.42

22

TATUM

1.94

1.31

148

THOREAU 12SE

1.89

0.53

28

TIERRA AMARILLA

3.14

1.36

43

TORREON NAVAJO MIS.

1.54

0.18

12

TRES PIEDRAS R/S

1.87

0.40

21

T OR C

1.31

0.52

40

TUCUMCARI AIRPORT

1.31

1.45

111

TUCUMCARI 4NE

1.31

1.89

144

TULAROSA

2.00

0.94

47

VALMORA

1.47

0.84

57

VILLANUEVA

1.19

1.11

93

WHITE SANDS N/M

1.53

0.74

48

WHITE SIGNAL

3.59

0.53

15

WHITEWATER

2.25

0.82

36

WINSTON

1.50

0.59

39

WOLF CANYON

5.08

0.50

10

ZUNI

2.60

0.83

32

Total

 291.19 119.84 41

*  R/S = Ranger Station,  N/M = National Monument,  NWR = National Wildlife Refuge

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