According to this National Weather Service report, frighteningly dry.
November was the 9th driest of the past 111 years in New Mexico, and preliminary numbers suggest December will also go into the record books as one of the 10 driest December months of the past 111 years. When considered together, the November-December period was one of the driest 5 such periods of the past 111 years. Precipitation for this time period has averaged a mere 11 percent of normal for the state.
…Fire Danger Impacts: The wet period in 2004 and early 2005 allowed abundant grass growth over eastern New Mexico. With the recent exceptionally-dry weather, these “fine fuels” are presenting high fire danger, much higher than normal for this time of year. Unless unforeseen significant precipitation develops, the fire season in 2006 is likely to be extended and severe in New Mexico, beginning in the lower elevations this month and progressing to higher elevations in the spring to early summer.
…The most likely scenario is for continued drier than normal, and warmer than normal weather in New Mexico through the spring.
Link via John Fleck.
Upside: We can not only play winter golf, we can play it in shorts.
Downside to the upside: Greens are very, very fast.
Would that we could send you some of ours…. in the neighborhood of 20 inches since December.