ALBUQUERQUE – The streak is over and New Mexico residents are rejoicing.
Rain fell over the state’s largest metropolitan area Wednesday, ending one of the longest dry spells in recorded history. Albuquerque had logged 96 consecutive days without any measurable precipitation and had threatened to break records set decades ago.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service say other areas of New Mexico did receive some snow with the latest storm, but dry conditions still persist over much of the state.
While the recent moisture is welcomed, water managers and environmentalists are most concerned about the snowpack along the New Mexico-Colorado border that feeds the Rio Grande basin.
A forecast issued by the Natural Resources Conservation Service shows Rio Grande flows in northern New Mexico could be as low as 15 to 24 percent of average this year.
