Drought in Quay County, NM: 6.2 years in 10 since 2000

6.2 years in 10

Quay County, NM: 16 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. More drought-prone than most US counties.

1. 13
2. 10
3. 44
4. 31
5. 16
6. 5
7. 30
8. 0
9. 11
10. 2
11. 0
12. 49
13. 52
14. 53
15. 52
16. 19
17. 9
18. 2
19. 40
20. 0
21. 31
22. 34
23. 52
24. 43
25. 32
26. 5

20002025

Drought years: 2000 (13 wk), 2002 (44 wk), 2003 (31 wk), 2004 (16 wk), 2006 (30 wk), 2011 (49 wk), 2012 (52 wk), 2013 (53 wk), 2014 (52 wk), 2015 (19 wk), 2018 (40 wk), 2020 (31 wk), 2021 (34 wk), 2022 (52 wk), 2023 (43 wk) and 2024 (32 wk). Not a single drought week in 2007, 2010 and 2019.

Plan for drought as normal: shrink the lawn, go drip and natives

Drought is the normal state of things here. Most of the yard goes to natives and gravel on drip; any grass that stays is a small, tough patch.

If you are replacing turf, plant natives in fall so roots set before the Mar peak, and check your water utility for a turf-removal rebate before you dig.

Against the rest of NM

28th most drought-prone of 33 NM counties; the NM middle is 6.9 in 10. Closest on the list: Torrance County (6.2 in 10) and Curry County (6.2 in 10). Driest in NM: Hidalgo County (8.1 in 10). Least drought: San Miguel County (5.4 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Mar (61% of weeks), then Apr (59%) and May (53%). Least in Aug (38%). May to September averages 47%.

1. 46 Jan
2. 50 Feb
3. 61 Mar
4. 59 Apr
5. 53 May
6. 52 Jun
7. 45 Jul
8. 38 Aug
9. 45 Sep
10. 44 Oct
11. 43 Nov
12. 42 Dec

The worst year: 2013

2013: 53 weeks in drought, peaking at D4 exceptional. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 48% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 28.3% at D2, 13.6% at D3, 78 weeks with some of the county in D4. Longest unbroken spell: 225 weeks, Jan 25, 2011 to May 12, 2015.

Lately

Last drought year: 2024, 32 weeks. 2016-2025: 6 in 10, against 6.3 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 37 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.

Further reading

Quay County lands on the plan covered in shrinking the lawn. Its worst year, 2013, was not one of the big national drought years; see the worst years since 2000. How each of Quay County's 1,401 weeks was judged: how drought is counted.