CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Monsoon moisture continued to leave its mark on Cibola County this week, with repeated chances for thunderstorms and flash flooding accompanied by a noticeable rise in the Rio San Jose. The additional moisture is encouraging after months of drought, but the county's water indicators continue to tell two different stories: the river gauge at Acoma Pueblo has climbed while Bluewater Lake continues its steady decline.
Bluewater Lake
According to provisional U.S. Geological Survey data, Bluewater Lake measured 7,364.63 feet on Aug. 18, down from 7,364.76 feet on Aug. 11.
That represents a weekly decline of 0.13acre feet.
The decline continues despite several weeks of monsoon activity across Cibola County. Rainfall can provide important moisture to soils and vegetation and generate runoff during stronger storms, but those benefits do not necessarily produce an immediate rise in a reservoir.
Bluewater Lake has continued to demonstrate that distinction throughout the summer.
For longer-term perspective, the lake measured 7,368.77 feet on Jan. 1. Its Aug. 18 reading is 4.14 feet lower than at the beginning of the year.
Rio San Jose
The Rio San Jose at Acoma Pueblo continued moving in the opposite direction.
The river measured 2.00 feet on Aug. 18, according to provisional USGS data, compared with 1.98 feet on Aug. 11.
A field measurement taken Aug. 11 also recorded the river at 1.98 feet.
Although the weekto- week increase is only 0.02 feet, the longer trend is more notable.
The Rio San Jose measured 1.88 feet on July 7. Since then, the gauge has risen approximately 0.12 feet, reaching the 2-foot mark this week as the region has experienced repeated rounds of monsoon rainfall.
Precipitation Across Cibola
Cibola County continued to receive monsoon rainfall during the latest reporting period, although precipitation remained uneven across the county.
Drought.gov data valid Aug. 14 shows much of central and southern Cibola County received between 0.1 and 0.5 inches of precipitation during the previous seven days. Higher totals were recorded in portions of western and northwestern Cibola County, where the map indicates generally 0.5 to 1 inch, with some localized areas approaching 1 to 2 inches.
The Grants area received considerably less, with the seven-day map showing generally less than one-tenth of an inch around the city and portions of northeastern Cibola County.
Temperatures remained warm during the same period. Seven-day average maximum temperatures were generally in the 80s across much of Cibola County, but the heat was not particularly unusual for mid-August. Most of the county was near normal to roughly 1 to 3 degrees above normal, with some areas near their historical average.
More precipitation could be on the way.
The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center's seven-day forecast for Aug. 18 through Aug. 25 calls for widespread rainfall across Cibola County. Much of the county is forecast to receive approximately 0.25 to 0.5 inches, while pockets – particularly north and northeast of Grants – could receive 0.5 to 1 inch or more.
The forecast is significant because it suggests the monsoon pattern that brought repeated rainfall to Cibola County during July has not completely shut down. Additional rainfall through late August could continue adding moisture to soils and watersheds that entered the summer exceptionally dry, although individual thunderstorm totals will continue to vary considerably from one location to another.
Water data courtesy of the United States Geological Survey. Temperature, precipitation and drought information courtesy of Drought.gov, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Drought Monitor, the Climate Prediction Center and the New Mexico Environment Department.
Monsoon Moisture Continues Across Cibola