The 2021 Annual Weather Highlights

2021 Weather Highlights

The Year in Pictures

Other Memorable Events

Hydrology & Drought Status

New Mexico 2021: Warmer And Drier Than Normal!

**Interactive 2021 Annual Highlights Story Map**

The 2021 statewide average temperature was 55.4°, which is 2.6° above the normal of 52.8°. This makes 2021 the 7th warmest year on record for New Mexico!

When was the last year New Mexico experienced a cooler than normal year? You have to go back to 1992! That's 29 consecutive years with above normal temperatures in New Mexico!

The 2021 statewide average precipitation was 12.44", or 1.55" below the normal of 13.99". This makes 2021 the 36th driest year on record for New Mexico.

Since 2000, 14 years have been drier than normal and 8 years wetter than normal.

(Note: normals for statewide data currently use the period from 1901 to 2000.)

New Mexico and Climate Cities at a Glance:

2021: 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)

2021	Average Temperature	Departure	Rank	Period of Record (# of years)	Total Precipitation	Departure	Rank
New Mexico	55.5°	+2.6°	7th warmest	127	12.44"	-1.55"	36th driest
Albuquerque	59.0°	+1.1°	10th warmest (tie)	130	5.50"	-3.34"	19th driest
Clayton	55.3°	+1.0°	20th warmest (tie)	112	11.04"	-5.08"	23rd driest
Roswell	63.7°	+0.5°	6th warmest	127	15.78"	+4.15"	29th wettest

(Departure from normal for city data based on a 30-year normal from 1991 to 2020; 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 2021 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 2021, 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 2021, a month-to-month recap of the significant weather events across New Mexico, and a review of our 2021 severe weather.