Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Editor's note: This is one in a series of stories recapping news events in 2015. It will continue through Jan. 1.
Editor
The numbers tell the story.
Clovis averages 16.64 inches of moisture annually. It has received 31 inches so far this year.
Portales averages 16.01 inches; it’s seen 25.24 inches.
And forecasters are predicting we’ll add to those numbers this weekend as up to a foot of snow is possible.
Prolonged warming in the Pacific Ocean — referred to as El Nino — is responsible for the extra helpings of rain and the snow.
Curry County Agricultural Extension Agent Luther Dunlap said the farmers love it.
“When I first got here (April 2013), Curry County was still suffering through a drought,” he said.
“This year, compared to that, has been excellent.”
Dunlap and Roosevelt County Agent Patrick Kircher said area dairies have an abundance of corn on hand and winter wheat crops are looking strong throughout the region.
But, both cautioned, farming success depends on consistent moisture throughout the year.
“That’s the way the growth cycle works,” Kircher said.
“We’ve seen several times where the winter wheat looks wonderful, then it stops raining in April and May and that’s when that plant is finishing growth and you’re done.
“You’ve got to have consistent moisture spread out over time to make it work.”
Historically, eastern New Mexico has repeatedly seen as many as three consecutive months without a drop of moisture.
That was not the case in 2015.
Both Clovis and Portales had measurable moisture in every month this year, as did most areas of Curry and Roosevelt counties, records show.
The last year either city had more rain was in 2004, according to National Weather Service statistics.
The moisture was extreme at times — Ranchvale recorded 4.08 inches of rain on Oct. 7 — and some Clovis’ city streets were closed during that same storm.
But temperatures were mostly mild throughout the year.
Clovis never even hit 100 degrees in 2015. Portales never fell below zero, according to National Weather Service stations.
Here are the numbers:
High temperature: 99 in Clovis on Aug. 7; 105 in Portales on Aug. 6.
Low temperature: 3-below zero in Clovis on Jan. 5; 1-above zero in Portales on Jan. 4.
Snowfall: 21.3 inches in Clovis; 14.2 inches in Portales (almost all of it in January-February).
