National Climatic Data Center, 15 January 2004

New Mexico has been suffering from drought for at least the last three years. Recent conditions have been especially severe in the south and east, extending into western Texas. Blowing sand and dust were detectable via satellite (SSEC) in mid-December.

Plots of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for the New Mexico southeast and northeast Plains indicate that the most severe dryness occurred in the 6- to 12-month time frames. Historical plots of the 6-month SPI (southeast NM, northeast NM) and Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (southeast NM) indicate that the recent dryness is comparable to the worst drought episodes of the 20th Century.