The Natural Resources Conservation Service highlighted the continuing heat wave in its Aug. 27 Water and Climate Update, which tracks precipitation, temperature, drought and water-supply conditions across the country.
Source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
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Extreme late-summer heat continues across the Southwest as monsoon rainfall brings some drought relief to portions of New Mexico — while hot, dry conditions worsen drought elsewhere in the state.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service highlighted the continuing heat wave in its Aug. 27 Water and Climate Update, which tracks precipitation, temperature, drought and water-supply conditions across the country.
Phoenix reached 115 degrees Aug. 25, setting a record high for the date and breaking the previous record of 113 degrees. National Weather Service records for the city extend to 1895.
Temperatures climbed still higher the following day, reaching 117 degrees and tying the record for Aug. 26 set in 2011.
The National Weather Service placed portions of the Southwest under an extreme heat warning through Aug. 29, with overnight temperatures in some locations forecast to remain near 90 degrees.
A change in the weather pattern is anticipated around Aug. 30, bringing temperatures closer to seasonal norms along with the possibility of showers and thunderstorms.
Monsoon Brings Uneven Drought Relief to New Mexico
The heat comes as the summer monsoon continues to produce sharply different conditions across New Mexico.
According to the Aug. 25 National Drought Summary included in the NRCS report, an active monsoon pattern has provided localized relief across portions of Arizona and New Mexico.
Across the West, that improvement has been particularly evident in western New Mexico, where continued monsoon thunderstorms have helped ease drought conditions.
Eastern New Mexico is moving in the opposite direction.
Persistent heat combined with dry conditions has resulted in drought expansion across eastern portions of the state, according to the report.
The contrast reflects the highly localized nature of monsoon rainfall: thunderstorms can deliver meaningful precipitation to one area while nearby communities remain largely dry.
Elsewhere across the West, persistent above-normal temperatures have increased demand on water resources. Extreme drought expanded in portions of Oregon and Washington, while extreme to exceptional drought expanded into northeastern Idaho.
More Monsoon Moisture Possible
Additional monsoon activity remains in the national outlook.
USDA Agricultural Meteorologist Brad Rippey reported Aug. 27 that the North American monsoon circulation is expected to become more active, producing scattered showers extending from the Four Corners through portions of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest.
At the same time, cooler air is beginning to spread across portions of the West.
The National Weather Service’s outlook for Sept. 1-5, however, continues to favor hotter-than-normal conditions along and east of a line extending from southwestern Arizona to eastern Montana.
Near- or above-normal precipitation is favored across much of the country during the same period.
For New Mexico, the late-August picture remains divided: monsoon moisture is improving drought conditions where storms have delivered rain, while persistent heat and dryness continue to deepen drought where they have not.
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