Drought
Above normalNew Mexico drought
Share of state area in drought (D1-D4) or worse, week over week
Data through Oct 13, 2026 · source last checked Oct 17, 2026 · page revised Oct 16, 2026
Cite
- % in drought
About this data
- Source
- US Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA, NOAA)
- Series
- Share of area in moderate drought (D1) or worse
- Geography
- New Mexico
- Unit
- %
- Calculation
- Conditions as of the prior Tuesday
- Last observation
- Oct 13, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly, released Thursdays
Drought eased week over week (now 80%).
New Mexico drought coverage eased to 80% of the state, down 2 percentage points on the week. The state has shed 17 percentage points over the past month. Coverage runs 12 percentage points above the 5-year median.
| Period | Current | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week over week | 80% | 82% | -2 pts |
| Month over month | 80% | 97% | -17 pts |
| Year over year | 80% | 68% | +12 pts |
| vs 5-yr median | 80% | 68% | +12 pts |
| Category | Share of area in this category | At this level or worse |
|---|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry | 17.6% | 97.6% |
| D1 moderate drought | 36.8% | 80% |
| D2 severe drought | 34.9% | 43.2% |
| D3 extreme drought | 8.3% | 8.3% |
| D4 exceptional drought | 0% | 0% |
| County | Area in drought (D1-D4) | Since last week | Most severe category | Weeks in drought |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doña Ana County | 12.8% | no change | D1 moderate drought | 169 |
Each county is read from the same weekly US Drought Monitor map, inside the county line. Weeks in drought counts the weekly maps in a row, up to the latest, that show any of the county in D1 or worse.
Previous weeks
Week of Oct 6, 2026
Drought eased to 82% of New Mexico, down 7 percentage points week over week. Month over month, coverage fell 15 percentage points. Year over year it has risen 14 percentage points from 69%. Current coverage runs 7 percentage points above the 5-year median.
Week of Sep 29, 2026
Drought coverage eased to 90% in the past week, down 8 percentage points. The state sits 13 percentage points above the 5-year median of 77%. Year over year, coverage is up 21 percentage points.
Week of Sep 22, 2026
Drought coverage held steady this week at 97% of New Mexico's area, but the state is 28 percentage points worse than a year ago and 18 points above its 5-year median. Month over month, coverage rose 2 points from 96%.
Week of Sep 8, 2026
New Mexico drought held steady at 97% of the state in moderate drought or worse for the week through September 8. Over the month, drought worsened by 3 points, and year over year it has risen 28 points from 69%. At 97%, the state sits 21 points above its 5-year median.
New Mexico drought conditions
New Mexico has 80% of its area in drought (D1 or worse) on the US Drought Monitor map dated Oct 13, 2026, and 97.6% at least abnormally dry (D0 or worse). The most severe category present is D3, extreme drought, covering 8.3% of the state.
Over the last 52 weekly maps the share in drought ranged from 65.3% (Feb 17, 2026) to 97.2% (Sep 15, 2026), and every one of them showed at least some drought.
This site tracks two reservoirs in New Mexico: Elephant Butte Reservoir's water level stood at 4,295.96 feet above sea level on Oct 15, 2026, with 94,701 acre-feet in storage (5% of capacity); and Navajo Reservoir's water level stood at 6,019.79 feet above sea level on Oct 15, 2026, with 864,313 acre-feet in storage (51% of capacity). The drought map scores conditions on the land week by week, while a large reservoir carries water over from earlier years, so the two can tell different stories for a season or longer.
The Monitor sorts land into five categories, from D0, abnormally dry and not yet drought, to D4, exceptional drought, and this page counts D1 through D4 as drought. The guide to what D0 to D4 mean explains each class, who draws the weekly map and why it lags a fast-moving storm.