Drought in New Mexico

The U.S. Drought Monitor's map for the week of October 27, 2026: how much of New Mexico is abnormally dry or in drought, and how bad. It is an expert judgement drawn from many indicators, not a measurement of water.

166on the 0 to 500 Drought Severity and Coverage Index. More severe than 50% of the same time of year in 2000–2025

90%of the state abnormally dry or worse

22%in severe drought or worse

0%in exceptional drought, the worst level

down 87on the index over 4 weeks

down 43on the index over a year

How it has changed

Share of the state in drought, last three years

Each line is the share of New Mexico in that level or a worse one, so the lines never cross.

D0 abnormally dry
D1 moderate drought
D2 severe drought
D3 extreme drought
D4 exceptional drought

Show the data as a table

Drought Severity and Coverage Index since 2000

0 means no part of the state is abnormally dry; 500 means all of it is in exceptional drought.

Show the data as a table

Now and in earlier weeks

Percent of New Mexico in each drought level or worse, and the index, now and earlier
When	Index	D0 abnormally dry	D1 moderate drought	D2 severe drought	D3 extreme drought	D4 exceptional drought
NowOctober 27, 2026	166	90%	52%	22%	3%	0%
a week agoOctober 20, 2026	192down 26 since	93%	61%	32%	7%	0%
4 weeks agoSeptember 29, 2026	253down 87 since	98%	90%	49%	16%	0%
13 weeks agoJuly 28, 2026	305down 139 since	96%	93%	78%	37%	0%
26 weeks agoApril 28, 2026	290down 124 since	100%	96%	81%	14%	0%
a year agoOctober 28, 2025	209down 43 since	82%	69%	47%	10%	0%

Each percent counts the share of the state in that level or a worse one, which is how the Monitor publishes it. The index adds the five percents together. The comparison with other years uses the Monitor's record since 2000, so it is a comparison with 26 years, not a 30-year normal.

Weekly drought, statewide (CSV). Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, a joint effort of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NOAA, https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu, data accessed November 4, 2026.