Drought conditions in Cibola have remained mostly the same over the last month with slight improvement month-over-month.
Conditions slightly improved over the month, with November 2022 being the 45th driest November in 145 years of drought tracking. November brought 0.36 less inches of rain than normal when compared to 128 years of drought tracking in the area that makes up Cibola County, according to the National Integrated Drought System.
Despite a slight improvement in drought conditions, 100 percent of Cibola County remains in drought. This is because the area is abnormally dry, creating conditions that make agricultural growing more difficult. Despite this, only 15.48 percent of the county is in moderate drought. In comparison, November had 15.84 percent of Cibola in moderate drought. This shows a slight improvement in drought conditions.
Even though December only brings a slight improvement to Cibola’s drought conditions, it does mark a significant improvement in the county’s drought conditions just months ago. In 2022, Cibola suffered through the driest May over the past 128 years of drought tracking in the county. The area was suffering so badly that scientists who conduct drought tracking declared Cibola to be in an “Exceptional Drought” the worst level of drought recognized by the federal government. In June 2022, a large wildfire, the Cerro Bandera Fire, destroyed 939 acres of land in the Zuni Mountains. Fire personnel in Cibola rallied together after the fire, asking for increased fire restrictions through the month of June, especially because the Independence Day holiday was rapidly approaching and residents often celebrate with fireworks. At the time, the drought rating in Cibola was at the highest rating recognized by federal authorities who track drought across the country. Increased rainfall at the end of June, continued through August, and was enough for local governments to lift some firework and open burning restrictions. Rainfall, despite expectations by meteorologists, did not stop fully but has decreased from earlier months. Today, zero percent of Cibola County is in exceptional drought. Zero percent of Cibola is in extreme drought. 0.39 percent of Cibola is in severe drought, the far northeast area. None of Cibola is in extreme drought.
Current Drought Rating
Significant rainfall through 2022 has improved Cibola’s drought conditions which had been pushed to the highest extreme the county has seen in 128 years of drought tracking. The improvements in drought conditions have made land more fertile and helped bring thousands of livestock animals out of drought across the county.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 69 acres of hay are estimated to be in drought, this is down from 71 acres in November. Only five acres of haylage is in drought, this is the same as November. The USDA estimates that 1,591 cattle and 468 sheep are in drought across Cibola, down from 1,629 and 479 respectively in November.
Cibola’s fire experts remind residents to take extra care when starting fires to stay warm. When using a portable electric heater, never plug it into a power strip, and to plug it directly into the wall to avoid causing sparks which might spark a fire. Grants Fire and Rescue Chief Robert Hays reminds resident to be careful with holiday lights and holiday cooking so as not to accidentally start a housefire.
Cibola’s drought may be improving but 100 percent of the county remains in “abnormally dry” drought where fire danger increases, according to the USDA.
“Exceptional Drought” Tracking
Cibola’s rainfall lessened the shock of the “Exceptional Drought” back in May.
2013 was the first time Cibola entered the “exceptional” category, the rating lasted for several months before ending.
While the county remained in drought, it was not given the “exceptional” rating again until 2020. The rating was assigned in December, and persisted through most of 2021.
May of 2022 saw the worst “Exceptional Drought” in county history. The United States Drought Monitor tracks the severity and length of drought across the country. The severity of 2022’s “Exceptional Drought” was starkly more severe than either of the previous two times this rating was assigned to Cibola. However, 2022’s situation lasted for a shorter amount of time than either of the previous two instances.
Drought Data
The National Integrated Drought Information System is a tool used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; a department of the United States known by many as the team who tracks Santa Claus during the Christmas holiday. NIDIS has been tracking drought in the Cibola area since 2006, and they use other historic data and environmental sampling to get a drought reading on years prior, all the way up to 1894.
Much of the data Cibola Citizen utilizes comes from NIDIS, but also NOAA and the US Department of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Statistics Service. These entities supply data for Cibola’s acreage of hay and number of livestock.