Climate in New Mexico

New Mexico, fifth largest submit in the Union, with a full area of 121,412 square miles, is approximately 350 miles squarely, and lies largely between latitudes 32° and 37° and longitudes 103° and 109° W. The State ‘s topography consists chiefly of high tableland or mesa, with numerous mountain ranges, canyons, valleys, and normally dry arroyo. average natural elevation is about 4,700 feet above ocean flush. The lowest point is just above the Red Bluff Reservoir at 2,817 feet where the Pecos River flows into Texas. The highest point is Wheeler Peak at 13,161 feet. The principal sources of moisture for the scant rains and snows that descend on the State are the Pacific Ocean, 500 miles to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico, 500 miles to the southeasterly. New Mexico has a mild, arid or semiarid, continental climate characterized by light up precipitation totals, abundant fair weather, depleted proportional humidities, and a relatively big annual and diurnal temperature crop. The highest mountains have climate characteristics coarse to the Rocky Mountains .

The State is divided into three major areas by mountain ranges and highlands, oriented in a general north-south management, which merge in the north. The Northern Mountain and Central Highlands, between longitudes 105° and 106° W, are the westerly boundary of the Northeastern and Southeastern Plains which slope gradually eastbound and southeast. The northern part of these eastern plains lies within the Arkansas River Basin and is drained by and large by the Canadian River, which flows southerly then east into Oklahoma to its confluence with the Arkansas, and the Cimarron River in the extreme point northeastern corner. The Pecos River rises in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and flows southbound through the Southeastern Plains into Texas, and then southeastward to join the Rio Grande. West of the batch ranges that form the Continental Divide, whose height decreases to a markedly lower aggrandizement in southerly New Mexico, rivers drain into the Gulf of California through the Colorado River system. principal tributaries flowing westbound into the Colorado River are the San Juan River in the north, the Gila River in the south, and the San Francisco conducive in the north, the Gila River in the south, and the San Francisco tributary of the Gila and other headwater streams of the Little Colorado River in the west-central area. The largest close basins in the west are the Plains of St. Augustine in Catron County and the Rio Membres Basin in Grant and Luna Counties. Between the Northern Mountains and the Central Highland system and the Continental Divide system is the Rio Grande Valley which widens toward the confederacy. The Rio Grande rises in the San Juan Mountains of southerly Colorado, flows south through New Mexico, then southeastward along the Texas-Mexico border into the Gulf of Mexico. The closed Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico is in an intermountain area of the Central Valley. The state is divided into 8 climate divisions based on the submit topographical features in the following image .

Temperature

average annual temperatures range from 64° F in the extreme southeast ( Division 1 ) to 40° F or lower in high mountains and valleys of the north ( division 2 ) ; elevation is a greater component in determining the temperature of any specific vicinity than its latitude. This is shown by merely a 3° F difference in mean temperature between stations at similar elevations, one in the extreme northeast and the early in the extreme southwest ; however, at two stations only 15 miles apart, but differing in elevation by 4,700 feet, the bastardly annual temperatures are 61° and 45° F – a difference of 16° F or a little more than 3° decrease in temperature for each 1,000 foot increase in aggrandizement .
During the summer months, individual day temperatures quite much exceed 100° F at elevations below 5,000 feet ( class 8 ) ; but the average monthly maximum temperatures during July, the warmest month, range from slenderly above 90° F at the lower elevations to the upper 70 ‘s at high elevations. Warmest days quite often occur in June before the thunderstorm season sets in during July and August, good afternoon convective storms tend to decrease solar sunstroke, lowering temperatures before they reach their potential daily high. The highest temperatures of criminal record in New Mexico are 116° at Orogrande on July 14, 1934, and at Artesia on June 29, 1918. A preponderance of clear skies and low relative humidities permit rapid cool by radiation from the land after sunset ; consequently, nights are normally comfortable in summer. The average scope between daily gamey and low temperatures is from 25° to 35° F.

In January, the coldest month, average day temperatures range form the in-between 50s in the southern and central valleys to the in-between 30s in the higher elevations of the north. minimum temperatures below freezing are common in all sections of the State during the winter, but subzero temperatures are rare except in the mountains. The lowest temperature recorded at regular observing stations in the State was -50° F at Gavilan on February 1, 1951. An unofficial low temperature of -57° F at Ciniza on January 13, 1963, was widely reported by the iron .
The freeze-free season ranges from more than 200 days in the southern valleys to less than 80 days in the northerly mountains where some high batch valleys have freezes in summer months .

Precipitation

modal annual precipitation ranges from less than 10 inches over much of the southern defect and the Rio Grande and San Juan Valleys to more than 20 inches at higher elevations in the State. A wide variation in annual totals is characteristic of arid and semiarid climates as illustrated by annual extremes of 2.95 and 33.94 inches at Carlsbad during a period of more than 71 years. average rain over the submit has little mean but is 13.9 inches based on the Cooperative Observer Network of rain gages .
Summer rains fall about entirely during brief, but frequently intense thunderstorms. The general southeasterly circulation from the Gulf of Mexico brings moisture for these storms into the State, and strong open inflame combined with orographic lift as the breeze moves over higher terrain causes air currents and condensation. July and August are the showery months over most of the State, with from 30 to 40 percentage of the year ‘s sum moisture falling at that time. The San Juan Valley area is least feign by this summer circulation, receiving about 25 percentage of its annual rain during July and August. During the warmest 6 months of the year, May through October, entire precipitation averages from 60 percentage of the annual entire in the Northwestern Plateau to 80 percentage of the annual sum in the eastern plains .
Winter precipitation is caused chiefly by facade bodily process associated with the general motion of Pacific Ocean storms across the state from west to east. As these storms move inland, much of the moisture is precipitated over the coastal and inland mountain ranges of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Much of the remaining moisture falls on the western gradient of the Continental Divide and over northern and high central batch ranges. winter is the driest temper in New Mexico except for the helping west of the Continental Divide. This dryness is most noticeable in the Central Valley and on easterly slopes of the mountains .
much of the winter precipitation falls as snow in the mountain areas, but it may occur as either rain or snow in the valleys. average annual snow ranges from about 3 inches at the Southern Desert and Southeastern Plains stations to well over 100 inches at Northern Mountain stations. It may exceed 300 inches in the highest mountains of the north .

Floods

General floods are rarely far-flung in New Mexico. Heavy summer thunderstorms may bring respective inches of rain to humble areas in a short time. Because of the rough terrain and sparse vegetation in many areas, runoffs from these storms frequently cause local flash floods. normally dry arroyo may overflow their banks for respective hours, halting traffic where water system crosses highways ; damaging bridges, culverts, and roadways ; and if in an urban area, possible causing considerable property price. Snowmelt during April to June, specially in combination with a strong rain, and intemperate general rains during August to October may occasionally cause implosion therapy of the larger rivers. Although streams in New Mexico have risen well during several floods, the overflows can not be termed black because relatively little actual property damage has resulted in this lightly industrialized and sparsely populate State. During spring snowmelt, main rivers may exceed flood stagecoach and cause some damage to place along their banks .

Severe Storms

On rare occasions, a tropical hurricane may cause heavy rain in eastern and central New Mexico as it moves inland from the western separate of the Gulf of Mexico, but there is no record of serious scent wrong from these storms. besides on rare occasions, a tropical storm moving inland from the Gulf of California area may cause heavy rain in southwest New Mexico.

Tornadoes are occasionally reported in New Mexico, most frequently during afternoon and early on evening hours from May through August. There is an average of nine tornadoes a year, but damage has been light because most occur over open, sparsely populated area. The tornado causing the most loss of life and injuries occurred in 1930 at Wagon Mound with 3 deaths, 19 injuries, and property loss of $ 150,000. Greater property damage, $ 450,000, but fewer casualties-1 death and 8 injuries – resulted from a destructive crack at Maxwell in 1964 .
Thunderstorms are relatively frequent in summer, averaging from 40 in the south to more than 70 in the northeastern, the latter area having the irregular greatest thunderstorm frequency in the nation. occasionally, these heavy thunderstorms are accompanied by hail, with the greatest hail frequency occurring near and to the east of Los Alamos. When hail falls over an agrarian area, considerable local anesthetic crop damage may result .

Sunshine

ample cheerfulness occurs in New Mexico, with from 75 to 80 percentage of the potential cheerfulness being received. In winter, this is particularly detectable with from 70 to 75 percentage of the potential sunlight being received. It is not rare for a a lot as 90 percentage of the possible cheerfulness to occur in November and in some of the leap months. The average number of hours of annual sunlight ranges from near 3,700 in the southwest to 2,800 in the north-central portions .

Relative Humidity

modal relative humidities are lower in the valleys but higher in the mountains because of the lower batch temperatures. relative humidity ranges from an median of near 65 percentage about sunrise to near 30 percentage in midafternoon ; however, good afternoon humidities in quick months are often less than 20 percentage and occasionally may go equally low as 4 percentage. The low relative humidities during periods of extreme temperatures ease the effect of summer and winter temperature .

Wind

Wind speeds over the State are normally moderate, although relatively strong winds much accompany casual frontal bodily process during late winter and jump months and sometimes occur precisely in promote of thunderstorms. Frontal winds may exceed 30 miles per hour for respective hours and reach point speeds of more than 50 miles per hour. spring is the airy season. Blowing dust and unplayful dirty corrosion of unprotected fields may be a problem during dry spells. Winds are by and large stronger in the eastern plains than in other parts of the State. Winds by and large predominate from the southeast i9n summer and from the west in winter, but local surface scent directions will vary greatly because of local topography and mountain and valley breezes .

Evaporation

potential dehydration in New Mexico is much greater than average annual precipitation. vaporization from a class A pan ranges from near 56 inches in the north-central mountains to more than 110 inches in southeast valleys. During the affectionate months, May through October, dehydration ranges from near 41 inches in the north-central to 73 inches in the southeast portions of the State .

Drought

Periods of late extreme meterorological drought, as defined by a Palmer drought exponent of -4.0 or lower, have been noted in the mid-1930 ‘s in the Northeastern Plains and Central Highlands, in 1947 in the Central Highlands, in the 1950 ‘s throughout the State, in 1963-64 in the Northern Mountains, in 1964 in the Southeastern Plains, and in 1967 in the Northern Mountains. At drought started in 2000 and continued public treasury 2004. The longest general drought since 1930 was in the 1950 ‘s .
Hydrologic drought is when surface water supplies are abject as defined by the surface water supply index ( SWSI ) which is scaled the lapp at the Palmer drought exponent from +4 to -4. The SWSI uses data about pour flow and reservoir storehouse in its calculation. even when the Palmer drought index becomes positive the SWSI can remain negative as has occurred in New Mexico in 2004.

Recreation and Health

boastfully primitive areas and many campgrounds are in the more than 8 million acres of forestland. There are many National Monuments and State Parks and one National Park : Carlsbad Caverns. Hunting and fish areas are available in most sections of the State, and respective reservoirs have facilities for boating. Snows in batch areas permit skiing during winter months. These features, combined with generally balmy, dry, cheery climate, make New Mexico a mecca for outdoor refreshment. many people seeking a balmy and ry climate for health reasons find the State a desirable place to settle .

Climate and the Economy

Principal industries of New Mexico are farming, mining, log, gas and oil production, and diversion. Of these, the influence of climate upon department of agriculture and diversion is of major importance. Less than 4 percentage of the State ‘s area is under cultivation, and about one-third of this area is irrigated. Farming on this latter part is intensive. More than one-half of the area of the State is pasture ; about 28 percentage is forest. The remainder is broadly classified as barren and urban. Most water domain is in the southerly valleys, although some is found in the center Rio Grande Valley, the canadian Valley in the northeastern, the San Juan Valley in the northwest, and in east-central counties. These irrigate lands draw on store coat water deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as metro water supplies for irrigation. Most dryland farming is in the eastern plains, but short-season dryland summer crops are grown in some modest areas in the Central Highlands. Dryland crops are divided chiefly between winter grains, which require favorable moisture conditions from early fall throughout winter and leap, and short-season course and prey crops, which depend chiefly on summer showers to produce a yield. Stored open water for irrigation, used chiefly for cotton, truck and feed crops, and fruit and nuts, depends on adequate winter snows in the mountains of both the northerly depart of the State and in southern Colorado for its initial source. Livestock raise is the most extensive agricultural avocation. sufficient moisture normally falls, providing for the emergence of thoroughly roll foraging. Because of the meek climate, livestock can live on the open rate throughout the year, crop in the higher batch ranges during the summer and in the lower valleys and plains during the winter .
source : WRCC