The recent heavy rains have pushed New Mexico out of extreme drought. But the National Weather Service in Albuquerque said Tuesday that 75 percent of the state remains under moderate to severe drought conditions.
Still, Shawn Bennett of the NWS says the record rains dramatically transformed the drought conditions in the state, especially in areas that were experiencing exceptional drought before the monsoon season.
Raymond Abeyta of U.S. Bureau of Reclamations says that helped fill up reservoir levels to help farmer for next season.
Elephant Butte, the Rio Grande's largest water storage reservoir, for example, gained more than 50,000 acre feet of water in the storm. The reservoir holds 2 million acre feet of water and rose from 4.4 percent to 5.9 percent full.
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