Has there been any rain in Clovis lately? (Las Cruces, Portales: agriculture, landscaping)

[RobinRS]

In mid-June sometime I'm going to visit a friend in Clovis. I might end up staying there. I'm asking if anyone here, that lives in Clovis, can tell me if Clovis has had any rain to mention in the past several months or longer. I've read and heard all kinds of newscasts saying that parts of the Southwest might already being going into permanent drought.

You're probably thinking that I could ask my friend. heh heh Yes, I have asked her and she wants me to come out there so badly that she kind of laughs it off and doesn't really tell me how bad it is. I'll ask her if she can remember the last time they had a good all day rain and she thinks and thinks and says, "we must have I just don't remember it". Oy. I'm trying to get away from the hurricanes of the East Coast, but I'm afraid to put what money I have left in a place that might already be going the way of the dust bowl.

I've lived in Clovis before as I've stated on this board somewhere else and I know all the other stuff. Ahum. Small town living sounds very nice after living around millions of people and traffic jams every where. Just curious about this "possible lack of water" thing. I would probably be living there for five or six years tops.

Thanks if anybody has any comments!

[mike0421]

I can only speak to Las Cruces, which is drier than Clovis, and in a completely different area of the state, when I say that during this time of year, if you see so much as a cloud in the sky, it's an event. I can't remember the last time it rained here.

I know we need rain, but after living on the East Coast most my life, I can say this is a good thing.

[clairz]

I took photos of some drenching rains back in September and October; and we had several smallish snowfalls over the winter. This is just my first year in Clovis, but I am expecting that the summer months will be our wettest.

I just checked a weather website and I see that our yearly precipitation average is 18.5 inches, fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, with the heaviest rainfall in June, July, and August.

What interests me is that Clovis doesn't seem to actively push for water conservation. New houses come with lush green landscaping, front and back, and with automatic sprinkler systems. After some research, I discovered that there are some rules about watering, but they were hard to track down and certainly not publicized or even enforced.

I've tried to educate myself on water issues and I've learned that the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies the region's water, is being drawn down at a greater rate than the natural recharge, leading to its ongoing depletion as first noticed in the 1970s. 94% of the water taken from the aquifer goes to irrigation for agriculture, and that may be why so little attention is paid here to residential use.

~clairz

[desert sun]

Clovis gets most of its rain in the summer,some good rainy thunderstorms to water that green grass,when I lived in Portales our grass grew fast and thick.Eastern NM is better for grass than anywhere else in the state.

[clairz]

We're having a nice rain right now. I woke up to distant thunder and lightning. The smell of rain sweeping across the plains is wonderful this morning.

~clairz

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by clairz

We're having a nice rain right now. I woke up to distant thunder and lightning. The smell of rain sweeping across the plains is wonderful this morning.

~clairz

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if Clovis got any of this rain. Same thing over here in Bailey County, Texas but the rain appears to be moving out of the area now at 9:30 am. I was beginning to wonder if we were going to get any moisture this year.

RRM