Droughts are a way of life here in the Southwest, and they tend to run in cycles. Unfortunately these cycles can play themselves out over a period of 20 or 30 years.

Now, when we talk about a period of drought we are not suggesting it is going to be drier than normal every single year for 30 years. A drought cycle means, for instance, if you look at the past 10 years you'll find that the dry years outnumber the wet ones.

For instance, the 2005 and 2006 winter was one of the driest on record. This was followed up by the extremely wet summer monsoon season of 2006. Then in December of that year, Albuquerque had the biggest snow in nearly 50 years and May 2007 was the 6th wettest on record. This does not mean the drought is over!

Some scientists and researchers are of the opinion that during the middle of 1998 our region started to transition away from what was a 20 year wet cycle into a dry period. If this is true, then low reservoirs, dropping aquifers and parched soil might be painfully commonplace in the years ahead. Some people say, "We have been through this before and it always seems to work out." This is true, we have been though droughts before, but we have never faced a prolonged drought under these current conditions.

Unlike the drought of the 70s, the 50s and the early 1900's we now have much more demand on our water supply. This past century brought us more people, more agricultural, more ranching and more industry. Add to this complex environmental laws and demands from other states and we end up with a lot more "straws" drawing on our precious water supply.

Let's not forget the impact of global warming. There is no dispute that we are in a period of warming on the global scale. The issue is whether the warming is the result of man-made activity. The overwhelming consensus within the scientific community is that human activities are a major contributor to climate change.See details at www.ametsoc.org.

Most climate experts believe that global warming in the Southwest will increase droughts, reduce winter snowpack, speed up spring snow melt, change growing seasons and rangeland fertility, increase wildfires, increase temperatures and greatly reduce our water supply. We all know droughts run in cycles, so what does global warming do if you are already in a drought? The general consensus is that it will take a drought and make it more extreme; meaning more heat, longer dry spells, intense fire seasons and more demands on our water supply. Remember, there are wet periods during a drought cycle, and there can be extremes on this end as well. Resulting in flooding monsoons and major winter storms. Again not everyone will agree that global warming is responsible for these types of weather extremes. But it is the overwhelming belief of some of the best minds in climate science.

You likely have your own beliefs on global warming and may not agree that the impact will be that harsh. However we do live in a desert and water conservation is important to New Mexico's future. The supply is limited while the demand increases with our growing population. Conserving water means we can extend the supply for future generations, and limit the risk of water shortages. Here are some easy ideas on how you can save water around your home.

Here are some things we all can do to cut down on manmade emissions, which is being targeted as a major cause to global warming: http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm

New Mexico Drought Map:

Current

U.S. Drought Monitor:

Current
6 Weeks
12 Weeks

Temperature Forecast:

6-10 day
8-14 day
30 day
90 day

Precipitation Forecast:

6-10 day
8-14 day
30 day
90 day

Additional Links:

Water Year 2002
Latest Fire Forecast
Regional Temperature And Precipitation
Heat Index
Climate Predictor Center
Climate Diagnostic Center
Western Regional Climate Center
National Climatic Climate Center
NOAA Drought Information
National Drought Mitigation Center
All About Droughts