Final temperature values indicate that 2005 was much warmer than the long term average for most of the country, including New Mexico. According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) 2005 was the 13th warmest year on record for the U.S. with a nationally averaged temperature of around 54.0°F (12.2°C). This is 1.2°F (0.7°C) above the 1895-2004 mean. The central states and portions of the southwest including Arizona and New Mexico, were much above normal. In 2005, New Mexico temperatures ranked 106 out of 111, meaning that only 5 years since 1895 have been warmer.

The year started with warm conditions, with December of 2004 through February of 2005 ranked 99 of 110. The Spring season (March through May) had near normal temperatures but by Summer (June through August), above normal conditions returned with a rank of 85 out of 111.

Fall (September through November) conditions, however, were the warmest of the year, not only for New Mexico but for much of the United States. New Mexico temperatures ranked 103 out of 111.

Fig. 4.  Preliminary annual temperature rankings for western states including New Mexico. (Source: Western Region Climate Center)

For the year, 2005 New Mexico precipitation was above normal, with a January through November rank of 79 of 111. However, the distribution of the precipitation through the year has been exceptionally variable, as indicated in Fig. 5 below. For all climate divisions, the period January through March saw precipitation totals well above normal. In January, a series of Pacific storms with ample moisture resulted in substantial rain and higher elevation snow totals for the southwest U.S., including New Mexico. The above normal trend continued in February and March as well, except for the extreme southwest and southern portions of the state. Precipitation totals in April and May were closer to normal. With the storm tracked displaced to the south, areas of southwestern U.S., including New Mexico, benefited by above normal snow pack through late Spring. The wet start of the year was followed by a dry June and a no-show for the start of the monsoon season in July. The summer wet season was salvaged by near normal precipitation in August, and this trend continued into autumn with near normal precipitation in September and October. In sharp contrast, November precipitation ranked as the 9th driest in the past 111 years. This exceptionally dry trend continued into December.

March 2005 Record-Breaking Snowfall

March of 2005 was one of the snowiest on record for several communities across eastern and central New Mexico.  Several small but potent systems affected the state early in the month before one of the most significant late season winter storms since the 1970's struck on the 14-15th. Central and eastern portions of New Mexico were hardest hit and some locations experienced snowfall totals not seen in over 30 years.  Several reporting stations recorded their largest one or two day snowfall totals during the 36 hour event.  The last ten days of March 2005 were comparatively quiet, but three additional storm systems produced additional light to moderate snow accumulations across portions of eastern New Mexico.  Many locations across northern, central and eastern New Mexico set new record snowfall totals for the month, with some locations reporting accumulations that had not been seen in 25 to 50 years.  The table below shows 2-day snow totals, monthly snow totals and associated rankings for several official and cooperative reporting stations.  For several of these stations, the event of 14-15 March 2005 resulted in the greatest one or two day March snow accumulations, while monthly totals for most sites were within the top 10.  It is important to note that the period of record varies considerably for the sites listed in the table, as is shown in the last column on the right. 

 Location

Snowfall Total 14th - 15th (in.)

All-time ranking

Monthly total ( in.)

All-time ranking

Period of Record

The yearly precipitation total for 2005 for the Albuquerque International Sunport will go down as above normal, thanks to the very wet conditions in the first four months of the year.  By the fourth day of January, Albuquerque was already greater than 1200% of normal, compliments of a storm system that brought 0.76 inches of precipitation to the airport (0.23 inches on the 2nd, 0.20 inches on the 3rd, and 0.33 inches on the 4th).  The first month of the year was the wettest January on record going back to 1931, with a total of 1.38 inches.  The greatest one day accumulation for January occurred on the 27th, with a total of 0.56 inches, which broke the daily record for that day.  Another daily record occurred on the 4th, when a potent low pressure system tracked across southern California and interacted with plenty of moisture as it swung through New Mexico.  Only a trace of snowfall was recorded at the airport on the 4th, 30th, and 31st.  By the end of the month, Albuquerque was around 280% of normal precipitation, or 0.89 inches above average.

The wet pattern continued in February with the airport recording the third wettest month since 1931, with a total of 1.78 inches.  By the end of the month, the accumulative precipitation for the year was 340% of normal.  Daily precipitation records were observed on the 11th, 12th, 18th, and 20th.  The greatest one day amount of 0.56 inches occurred on the 12th as a storm system tracked from Las Vegas Nevada through New Mexico, bringing widespread precipitation to the state.  The combined precipitation for January and February was 3.16 inches, which set an all time record for the wettest first two months of any year.  Only a trace of snow fell on both the 1st and 25th of February.

The wet pattern continued into March with the Albuquerque Sunport recording 1.12 inches of precipitation, or 0.51 inches above normal.  The greatest daily amount in March occurred on the 14th with 0.54 inches, which broke the previous daily record of 0.29 inches, set back in 1941.  March was the 9th wettest month on record; however, the first three months combined was the wettest start to any year, with a total of 4.28 inches.  Just over four inches of snow fell at the Sunport, which was 1.9 inches above normal.  The greatest snowfall amount of 3.3 inches occurred on the 14th as a strong upper level storm system brought significant snows to parts of the state.  This snowfall amount broke the previous daily record of two inches, set in 1946.  By March 31st, Albuquerque was 276% of normal with respect to accumulative precipitation for the first three months of 2005.

April was another above normal month with 1.17 inches recorded, which was 0.67 inches above the 30-year normal of 0.50 inches.  Most of the precipitation occurred on the 16th as severe weather struck central New Mexico.  Hail ranging from pea sized to one inch in diameter was reported within the Albuquerque metro area.  The total precipitation for the year through April was an impressive 5.45 inches, making the first four months of 2005 the wettest beginning to any year since 1931, ahead of 2004 which racked up 4.94 inches by this same time.  A half inch of snow fell on the 10th, which was the last recorded snow event for the spring season.  At the end of April, the accumulative precipitation for the year was 266% of normal.

May was the first month since December 2004 with below normal precipitation.  Total precipitation for the month was 0.40 inches, or 0.20 inches below average. Most of this precipitation fell on the 3rd (0.29 inches) as a series of upper level disturbances worked with abundant low level moisture over the region.  By the end of May, the year to date precipitation was 5.85 inches.  The relatively dry month allowed the first five months of 2005 to drop to the second wettest beginning to any year, behind 1941 with 6.64 inches.  By the end of the month, Albuquerque slid to 221% of normal.

June's 0.09 inches of rain was significantly below the 30-year monthly normal of 0.56 inches. June 2005 tied for the 14th driest month on record at Albuquerque since 1931.  The year-to-date total as of June 30th was 5.94 inches.  This dry spell allowed the airport to drop to 3rd place in the wettest first half of any year, behind 1941 (7.54 inches) and 1973 (6.30 inches).  This dry spell also allowed the accumulative precipitation for the year to drop to 180% of normal, almost half of what it was four months earlier.

The monsoon season was around the corner, yet the weather pattern did not cooperate with the average start date of around July 10th.  Precipitation was recorded on only three days during the month of July; however, enough rainfall fell at the airport to salvage a relatively decent month.  The total precipitation for July was 1.03 inches, about one quarter of an inch shy of the normal.  The largest one day total occurred on the 22nd (0.57 inches), which tied second place for the daily precipitation record.  This rainfall was compliments of remaining moisture from Hurricane Emily that streamed northward into New Mexico.  Half inch diameter hail, 53 mph winds, and minor flooding were also reported on this day in the Albuquerque metro.  A daily precipitation record of 0.30 inches was set on July 17th, which just surpassed the previous record of 0.29 inches, set back in 1931.  By the end of the month, the year-to-date precipitation was just above 150% of normal.

Although the typical monsoon season should have been in full swing, Albuquerque recorded another dry month with August receiving only 0.49 inches, which was 1.24 inches below normal.  August 2005 tied for the 9th driest month on record since 1931.  The greatest rainfall amount for the month occurred on the 13th, with 0.21 inches dropping into the bucket.  By August 31st, the accumulative precipitation for the year dropped to 118% of normal.  The very dry August month allowed the first eight months of 2005 to fall to 15th wettest on the record list.

Of most significance during September of 2005 was the record breaking rainfall which occurred during the last part of the month.  Daily precipitation records were broken on two consecutive days at the Albuquerque International Airport, compliments of the first strong cold front of the fall season and an upper level low that slowly pushed through Utah and across northern New Mexico.  0.72 inches of rain fell on September 28th, which broke the previous record of 0.63 inches, set in 1995.  Another 0.84 inches of rain fell the 29th, breaking the previous record of 0.59 inches, set in 1941.  Rainfall during the two-day period accounted for more than half of the precipitation for the entire month.  Total precipitation for September was 2.83 inches, which made it the wettest September on record since 1931.  In addition, an upper level high positioned over west Texas tapped into subtropical moisture and moved it northward into New Mexico.  This allowed for two consecutive good rainfall amounts in Albuquerque, 0.39 inches on the 6th and 0.52 inches on the 7th.  By the end of September, some recovery in the downward spiral of above normal precipitation was noted, bringing Albuquerque back to 140% of normal.  This also allowed the beginning nine months of 2005 to rebound to 6th wettest on record.

One final month, October, experienced above normal precipitation for 2005 (barely) at the Albuquerque International Sunport, with a total of 1.03 inches.  This was only 0.03 inches above the 30-year normal.  The greatest 24-hour precipitation total occurred on the 15th (0.34 inches) as an upper low over the Baja of California slowly tracked through the northwestern corner of Mexico, and eventually through the state.

November was the driest month of the year, with only a trace of precipitation recorded on three separate occasions; the 11th, 26th, and 27th.  The 30-year normal for the month is 0.62 inches.  Since records began in 1931, only two years (1932 and 1949) recorded no precipitation for the month of November.  Seven other years (1936, 1942, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1989, and 1999) recorded only a trace.  This dry spell allowed Albuquerque to drop to 125% of normal for the cumulative yearly precipitation.  By the end of November, the first eleven months of the year was ranked 8th wettest since 1931.

December 2005 brought only 0.10 inches of precipitation to the airport, of which most was in the form of snow (0.9 inches).  This tied 1939 for the 13th driest December on record since 1931.  The final precipitation total for 2005 was 11.42 inches, or 120% of normal.  This will make 2005 the tenth wettest year on record, 4.46 inches shy of the record set in 1941 (15.65 inches).  Although Albuquerque was well above normal at the beginning of the year, little relief was provided by the final eight months of the year.  A late monsoon season and dry end of the year dampened hopes of providing a significant dent in the long term drought.

Click here for a graphical "comparison-to-normal" chart and a detailed, day-by-day table of Albuquerque's precipitation.

The start of 2005 was active, with unsettled weather much of the month.  The first storm of the year was a slow moving system and resulted in rain and higher level snows from the 2nd through 5th.  Over an inch of rain was common over the south, with a foot of snow in Red River.  Four more weaker storms moved across the state on the 7th through 12th.  After a relatively quiet middle of the month, the weather was active again from the 21st through the end of the month, with precipitation reported nearly every day during this time. 

February continued the trend set by January, that is, an active one.  No less than four significant storm systems delivered rain and higher elevation snows to the state.  The storms were on the 4th - 5th, 10th - 12th, 18th - 19th and 22nd - 25th.  With such an active pattern, record or near record precipitation was set at several locations across the state for the combined January through February period.    

The big event in March was the snow storm on the 13th through 15th, which turned out to be the largest snowfall of the year.  Weaker storms delivered lesser amounts of rain and snow on the 1st and 3rd, with moderate systems on the 5th to 6th, 25th and 31st.  Strong winds buffeted southern New Mexico on the 29th.  A rather small, but intense storm delivered blizzard conditions to far northeast New Mexico on the 31st with 7 to 8 inches of snow and 3 to 4 foot drifts from 60 plus mph wind gusts. 

Winter would not give up its grip on New Mexico in April, as a few late season snow events affected the northeast.  The first one actually began on March 31st and came to an end on April 1st, delivering 7-8 inches of snow and 3-4 foot drifts to the far northeast.  More snow events occurred in the northeast on the 5th and 10th, and were similar to the the previous storm, with 5-8 inches of snow reported in a few locations and up to 4 foot drifts of wind whipped snow.  The first outbreak of severe weather occurred in mid April, on the 15th-16th.  Hail around one inch and a brief tornado were seen in Albuquerque on the 16th, with the severe weather shifting to the east on the 17th.  A moderate rain and high elevation snow event was noted on the 24th-25th, otherwise the 2nd half of April was relatively quiet.   

May 2005 started off cool and white across northeast New Mexico as a late season storm blanketed this area with 6-10 inches of snow.  The first half of the month was cool over most of the state, with the only reports of severe weather across the southeast on the 6th and again on the 10th.  The second half of May was decidedly warmer.  In fact, record high temperatures were observed from the 20th through 25th, mainly over the west.  The most significant severe weather outbreaks of the year so far affected the eastern plains on the 25th, 30th and 31st.

June began on a mostly quiet note with dry weather for the most part through the 5th.  This was not the case on the 6th across the eastern plains when numerous reports of severe weather were reported from around Roswell up to Roy, east to the Texas border.  Another round of thunderstorms struck the state on the 10th and 11th, with reports of severe weather across San Miguel county on the 10th.  More severe weather was noted in the southeast on the 14th and 16th, and around Raton on the 15th.  A dry and very warm pattern followed from the 17th through 20th as a ridge of high pressure built over the Land of Enchantment.  Scattered thunderstorms erupted on the 21st over the northwest half of the state, with isolated storms in the same area on the 22nd and 23rd.  High pressure dominated the last week of the month.  There were a few rounds of thunderstorms though, primarily on the 25th, 26th and 30th.  

The month began with thunderstorms erupting over eastern New Mexico on the 1st, with several reports of severe weather across mainly the far east central plains.  More thunderstorms with severe weather affected mainly the northeast from the 4th through the 6th. It was relatively quiet from the 7th into the 11th, with an upswing again late on the 11th through the 17th.  Albuquerque experienced severe weather on the 17th, with one inch hail and street flooding.  A back door cold front on the night of the 17th delivered a fresh batch of moisture to the east, resulting in an increase in reports of severe weather on the 18th.  The atmosphere quieted down for a few days.  Then southerly flow of more moist air headed north into New Mexico on the 22nd along with the remnants of hurricane Emily.  This helped fuel an increase in showers and thunderstorms from the 22nd  through the 25th.  Then a strong cold front for July raced south across the eastern plains on the 26th.  This further increased the coverage of thunderstorms and produced heavy rains on the night of the 26th into the 27th.  The remainder of the month was less active.  

A strong cold front moved south across the eastern plains early on the 4th and pushed into the Rio Grande Valley late on the 4th.  This delivered a fresh supply of moisture to much of the state and increased the coverage of convection from the 4th through the 7th.  Storms diminished a bit on the 8th through 12th as the main plume of monsoonal moisture shifted over Arizona.  Another strong cold front plunged south on the 13th adding more moisture to much of the state.  Thus the 11th through 13th were active weather days as heavy rains were widespread across the state, with the surrounding days of the 10th and 14th not quite as impressive, but still active. A cold front backed into the northeast on the 20th with a fresh supply of moisture and increase in convection on the 20th and 21st, and again for the 23rd into the 24th, including isolated severe weather on the 23rd.  High pressure was generally in control over New Mexico for the last week of the month,.  The exceptions were on the 27th and 28th, where a cold front from the north brought more low level moisture.  This allowed for widespread convection during the last weekend of August, including some severe weather. 

The month began with a couple of upper level disturbances and a good moisture surge producing showers and thunderstorms across the state.  The most intense activity was over the east and especially the northeast where severe weather and flash flooding was observed.  The weather pattern continued active through the 9th.  Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms during this time delivered heavy rain to a few locations across mainly southern and western sections. A back door cold front slipped into the northeast on the 13th and increased low level moisture on the 14th, sparking a few strong thunderstorms over the northeast.  A weak surge of moisture set off some showers and thunderstorms mainly over the south and west from the 17th through 21st.  More widespread thunderstorms, some strong, formed on the 22nd thanks to moisture from the remnants of hurricane Max.  Activity abated from the 23rd through 27th, before another back door front set off an impressive outbreak of showers and thunderstorms on the 28th and 29th over much of the state, including Albuquerque, along with much cooler temperatures.  

Moisture from the remnants of hurricane Otis began to stream north into New Mexico early in the month.  This resulted in isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms on the 2nd through 4th.  A back door cold then raced south across the eastern plains on the 5th and pressed into the Rio Grande Valley late on the 5th and early on the 6th.  The showers and storms continued on the 5th and 6th, with a few reports of severe weather. A strong storm developed over the southwest for the 8th into the 11th. Chilly temperatures, widespread showers and thunderstorms, and northern mountain snow showers were the result.  The next storm delivered widespread rains on the 15th then a large storm crossed far northern New Mexico on the 19th.  This storm delivered more rain to mainly northern portions of the state.  A strong cold front dropped south through the eastern plains early on the 23rd delivering low clouds and much cooler temperatures, but only limited precipitation.  The final storm of the month affected the eastern plains on the 30th into the 31st with a little precipitation, but much cooler temperatures. 

The first part of November was quiet as a dry and mild west to northwest flow dominated the first 10 days of the month.  The exception was on the 9th across the northeast as a back door cold front plunged into this area.  The first precipitation event of the month finally arrived on the 11th across mainly the northern half of the state.  Dry weather dominated once again through the middle of the month.  However, a few cold fronts did affect mainly the eastern plains from the 12th through 18th.  These fronts were mostly dry, but day to day temperatures swings were quite noticeable over the east, and especially the northeast.  In particular, a strong cold front sent temperatures plummeting to the their lowest readings of the season so far on the 15th and early morning of the 16th.  Another cold front headed south across the state on the 17th, helping to produce a few snow showers in the northern mountains on the evening of the 17th.  Yet another cold front dropped early on the 19th with a few snow showers over the northeast along with brisk winds.  A dry and more tranquil pattern followed from the 20th through the 25th.  The end of the month brought quite a change to the Land of Enchantment as the season's first significant storm struck late on the 26th through the 27th, with the high country of the north blanketed with some snow.   

An increasing westerly flow aloft early in the month brought strong and gusty winds to the state, primarily on the 2nd and 3rd.  A couple of cold fronts sent temperatures plummeting in the northeast on the 1st and again on the 3rd and 4th.  The state then went into the deep freeze as a strong cold front dropped south across New Mexico late on the 6th and early on the 7th.  Record low minimum and low maximum temperatures were set at several locations.  A rather tranquil period with dry weather and moderating temperatures followed from the 8th through 11th. A weak disturbance brushed southern New Mexico on the 16th with a few rain showers and mountain snow showers, while a couple of systems from the west and northwest brought colder air into the state from the 18th through 20th, along with a little snow over the northern mountains, and a prolonged period of freezing drizzle to the east.  Dry and milder weather then ensued for much of the remainder of December, with record high temperatures at several locations on the 22nd and 23rd.