Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rainfall Across the South; Heat Spreads Across the West and Southern Plains

A couple of frontal boundaries will move east and south from the Plains to the Gulf and Atlantic coastlines. These boundaries will focus showers and thunderstorms through the weekend, with scattered severe thunderstorms from the Southern Plains and across the Gulf Coast states. Locally heavy rainfall may also occur, which may be welcome news across drought areas. Meanwhile, heat spreads westward. Read More >

2020 Weather Highlights

The Year in Pictures

Top 5 Weather Stories

Hydrology & Drought Status

New Mexico in 2020: Again, Warmer And Drier Than Normal!

The 2020 statewide average temperature (through November) was 56.6 degrees, which is 2.1 degrees above the normal of 54.5. This was tied for the 12th warmest year on record!

When was the last year New Mexico experienced a cooler than normal year? You have to go back to 1992! That's 28 consecutive years with above normal temperatures in New Mexico!

The 2020 statewide average precipitation (through November) was 11.89 inches, or 1.42 inches below the normal of 13.31 inches. This is the 41st driest year on record!

Since 2000, 14 years have been drier than normal and seven years wetter than normal.

New Mexico and Climate Cities at a Glance:

2020: Temperature & Precipitation Data For New Mexico, Albuquerque, Clayton and Roswell
(click the link above for a detailed climate summary of temperature and precipitation for NM and these 3 cities)

2020	Avg Temp	Departure	Rank	P.O.R. (# of years)	Total Precip	Departure	Rank
New Mexico	59.2	+3.2	Tied 2nd warmest	128	8.42	-5.57	4th driest
Albuquerque	59.2	+2.1	Tied 5th warmest	128	5.88	-3.57	23rd driest
Clayton	55.4	+1.4	8th warmest	123	12.08	-3.71	33rd driest
Roswell	64.7	+3.9	Warmest	108	6.18	-6.73	8th driest

(Departure from normal based on a 30-year normal from 1981 to 2010; Rankings based on the Period Of Record (POR) but only years with no missing data were included)

This year's annual weather and climate review for 2020 is organized into topics which are accessed by the tabs across the top of each page. Other annual summary topics include a video of the year in pictures, the top 5 weather stories of 2020, a summary of the drought status and hydrology program, a recap of the fire weather program, a list of all the records and extremes in Albuquerque, Clayton and Roswell in 2020, a month-to-month recap of the significant weather events across New Mexico, and a review of our 2020 severe weather.

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Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rainfall Across the South; Heat Spreads Across the West and Southern Plains

The 2020 Annual Weather Highlights