Monsoons bring active weather to Cibola in late July
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – One week can tell two very different stories about water in western New Mexico.
Across Cibola County, repeated rounds of monsoon thunderstorms prompted flood watches, flash flood warnings, road washouts and localized flooding as rainfall fell on already saturated areas. Yet despite the wet week, long-term drought conditions remain a reality.
Bluewater Lake
According to provisional U.S. Geological Survey data, Bluewater Lake measured 7,365.20 feet in elevation on July 28, compared with 7,365.29 feet one week earlier.
Although the lake declined slightly during the week, the pace of decline continues to be much slower than earlier this summer as repeated monsoon storms have brought additional runoff into portions of the watershed.
Rio San Jose
The Rio San Jose at Acoma Pueblo measured 1.90 feet on July 28, according to provisional USGS data, up from 1.89 feet one week earlier.
The slight increase suggests recent rainfall is beginning to produce measurable benefits for streamflow, even if those gains remain modest.
Precipitation across Cibola
This was one of the most active weather weeks of the summer.
According to Drought.gov maps, average daytime high temperatures across much of Cibola County remained in the 80s, but a separate temperature anomaly map shows those highs actually averaged slightly below normal for late July. Cooler temperatures, combined with repeated rainfall, helped reduce evaporation compared with the hotter weeks earlier this month.
The seven-day precipitation map reflects the impact of the monsoon pattern. Much of western Cibola County received roughly one-half inch to 2 inches of rainfall, with some localized areas likely receiving higher amounts beneath stronger thunderstorms.
Those storms prompted multiple flood watches and flash flood warnings during the week as rainfall repeatedly moved over the same locations. The National Weather Service warned that thunderstorms were capable of producing rainfall rates exceeding 1 inch per hour, with some storms producing 1 to 2 inches per hour, creating dangerous flash flooding in arroyos, streams, lowwater crossings and other flood-prone areas. Heavy rainfall also contributed to washed-out roads, flooding near Bluewater Lake and Las Tusas, impacts around Zuni Pueblo, and erosion along portions of NM 53, and damage to roadways on on Mount Taylor.
The National Weather Service's seven-day quantitative precipitation forecast continues to favor an active monsoon pattern.
Much of Cibola County is forecast to receive around one-quarter to one-half inch of additional rainfall, with localized thunderstorms capable of producing significantly higher totals where storms repeatedly develop.
Perhaps the most encouraging map this week is the 30-day precipitation outlook. Nearly all of Cibola County now shows precipitation running near or above normal over the past month. That marks a remarkable change from earlier this spring, when nearly every weekly report showed precipitation well below normal.
This week's report illustrates both sides of New Mexico's monsoon season: The same rainfall capable of producing dangerous flash flooding is also beginning to provide measurable benefits for streams, watersheds and the landscape.
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.