Albuquerque morning journal., 1910-11-28
VALUABLE DATA ON
PRECIPITATION IN
NORTHEAST
Weather Bureau Issues Useful
Genealogical information
on District From Mountains
to Texas Border.

| Valuable climatologicaI data on the
northwestern New Mexico district ac-
companied with precipitation charts
and tables is given in a bulletin just
issued by the weather bureau, which
| is in part as follows:
Northeast New Mexico includes the
! region from the crest of the Sangre de
/ Cristo range to the Texas border, and
| from the southern boundary of Quad
alupe county (ahout "a degrees, 25
minutes north latitude) northward to
| the Colorado border. 1t is a region
| that combines mountain, plateau and
plain. Attitudes within the district in
| crease from about 1000 feet along
its southeast border to 10000 feet at
/ the crest Of the Sangre de Cristo
range in western Colfax and western
! Mora counties 1t has a very large
| amount of broken and comparatively
| high altitude country. The main range
| along its western border places an i'm
mense barrier there, which, however,
slopes toward its southern end into
1 the low mountains of the Pedernal.
The cross ranges are insignificant, eN-
cept the Ration range, along the north
| ern border of the state which contin-
ues in a series of broken mountains
and high plateaus far into eastern
Union county Several spurs are
thrown out from the main range into
ColfaX, Mora, and San Miguel coun-
| ties; the most noteworthy of these are
the Cimarron mountains in western
| Colfax county and the Turkey noun
tains in western Mora. Low noun
tains and high plateaus, with many
abrupt and often deep canyons, are
quiet general over the district, except
| in the extreme south. Many small
streams and two of much Importance,
the Canadian and the Pecos, rise in
| the northern and western parts of the
district.
Well within the plateau region there
are many miles of comparatively level
country. scores of more or less extern
sive mountain valleys, and mesas tnat
afford many thousands of acres OF
fertile land that is, or that may he,
cultivated. and that is rapidly being
reclaimed by irrigation enterprises, or
by improved farming methods. Con-
sidera BILE timber covers the mountain
slopes while most of the high plateau
country is more or less covered with
dwarf pine, pinon, and cedar, but the
lower plateau country and the plains
are barren.
The precipitation of the district is
mostly received in the form of local
showers during the months from April
TO September, inclusive; July and Au-
gust being the months of greatest
RAINFALL. In amount it is the largest
within the state. The smallest pre-
ciptation of the district occurs in
strip passing through its center north
and south along the eastern sides of
Colfax, through central Mora. central
san Miguel, and eastern Guadalupe
counties. In this strip the average
annual precipitation falls below thir-
teen inches in northern ColfaX coun-
ty, and averages fourteen to sixteen
inches over the rest of the strD. To
the east the annual precipitation in
creases to seventeen or eighteen in
ches in Union and Quay counties,
with the one marked exception of ex-
treme northeast Union county. where
the annual fall is less than thirteen
inches. partaking of the dry conditions
Of extreme southeast Colorado. To the
west OF this strip of low precipitation
the annual average increases to etgh-
teen inches in western Colfax county,
western Mora, and western San Mi
guel, and exceeds twenty inches on
the mountain slopes at an altitude of
5000 feet, and probably twenty-five
inches at 10000 feet.
While altitude is a marked factor In
the increase of precipitation in the
district as in the other districts OF the
state, it does not appear TO be so
marked in it's influence as in the
northwestern counties. The region in
which the lowest precipitation occurs
is well within the plateau district
throughout most of its length, and IS
mostly above 5000 feet in altitude; |
much greater precipitation however |
occure in the lower attitudes to the /
south and east. In consideration of |
the averages given for the plains re- |
gion, some allowance should be made /
for the comparatively short period /
during which records have been made |
there and longer records may show |
some OF these averages to be slightly |
too great.
The annual amount of precipitation /
is "A fair index to the propable number |
of days with a measurable amount OF /
for these are least IN !
the driest portions of the district. av-
eraging about forty annually. An in
crease to fifty or sixty occurs IN the
more moist eastern plains region ana
also in the plateau region. and again |
to seventy or eighty annually on the
mountain slopes while probably close
to one hundred days each year receive
along the crest OF the
main range on the west. Snowfall is /
light. as a rule. averaging about thir-
teen inches over the plains, and from
that to eighteen inches along the CEN
rv or thirty inches over the higher
niateau. and again increasing to fifty.
sixty or seventy inches in the noun
tains with increase of altitude.
The temperature Of the district va
ries greatly. from the comparatively
warm plains region on the south ana
southeast with an annual mean OF "a
to 81 degrees. to the moderate plo-
teau region. with an annual mean ot
49 to 50 degrees and the cool, inVig-
orating mountain regions, with an an
nual mean Of 80 TO As degrees. In the
plains region summer temperatures OF
90 degrees will quite regularly occur
and temperatures above 30 degrees
may be expected from May to Sep
tember. inclusive. while temperatures
to or below zero viii usually occur for
brief periods each winter during De
nember. January. and February. and
an occasional winter storm or severe
norther viii give temperatures OF ten
To fifteen degrees below zero. over
The plateau region in the summer an
occasional record OF loo degrees may
be recorded but. as "a rule. 90 TO %
degrees. or possibly IS degrees, VIII
mark the highest of the year. on the
rtnar hand during the winter an pC- ]