Despite a steady stream of afternoon monsoons like the fierce storm that hit Albuquerque with hurricane-force gusts and pounding rains over the weekend, weather officials say New Mexico's drought is far from over.
National Weather Service meteorologist Chuck Jones says the storms are making a little dent in places. But Albuquerque, for example, is still a year behind in rain for the past three years.
The good news, he says, is that the since the traditional July start of the monsoon season, much of the state has seen above normal activity. And that should continue.
And the state has seen some real doozies this year. Last month, a storm dumped more than a foot of hail on Santa Rosa.
Friday evening, one of the most dramatic storms to ever hit Albuquerque dropped more than two inches of rain in some parts of the city.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.