Background on Querétaro’s Recent Water Conditions
Querétaro, Qro. Following a drought that affected the state during the first half of the year, Querétaro has remained free from drought conditions.
During the first half of August, Querétaro was one of 11 states with 100% of its municipalities free from drought, according to the Monitor de Sequía de México (MSM) by the National Water Commission (Conagua).
This means that Querétaro has been drought-free for two and a half months (five fortnights), accumulating two months without any drought-related impacts from the second half of June to early August. During this period, two municipalities were experiencing anomalously dry conditions, which occur before or after a drought but are not classified as drought levels.
Recent Drought History
The last drought record was in the second half of May, when Landa de Matamoros experienced moderate drought, and four other municipios (Pinal de Amoles, Cadereyta de Montes, Jalpan de Serra, and San Joaquín) were anomalously dry.
Previously, from April to the first half of May, 17 out of 18 municipalities were experiencing moderate drought, and one (Arroyo Seco) was in an anomalously dry condition.
An anomalously dry condition indicates a state of dryness but is not classified as drought. It can occur at the beginning or end of a dry period, potentially causing delays in planting annual crops due to short-term dryness or leaving a persistent water deficit, affecting pastures and crops that may not fully recover.
Moderate drought, the first of four categories (moderate, severe, extreme, and exceptional), causes some damage to crops and pastures and signifies a high risk of fires, low levels in rivers, streams, reservoirs, troughs, and wells. Conagua recommends voluntary water usage restrictions in such cases.
Querétaro’s Drought Progress
Querétaro began 2025 in the first half of January with nine municipalities experiencing moderate drought, six anomalously dry, and three without any drought impacts. The situation worsened from April to mid-May, with 17 municipalities experiencing moderate drought until the onset of the rainy season in mid-May provided relief.
During the first half of August 2025, Querétaro showed better conditions compared to the same period in 2024 when 12 municipios (66.7%) had some level of drought, ranging from moderate to exceptional.
As of August 15, 2025, 11 federal entities have all their municipalities drought-free: Aguascalientes, Colima, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, and Tlaxcala.
The entities with the highest proportion of drought-affected territories (over 50%) are Sonora (87.5%), Baja California (71.4%), and Tabasco (52.9%).
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the current drought status in Querétaro? As of August 2025, Querétaro has remained drought-free for over two and a half months.
- When was the last drought record in Querétaro? The last drought record was in the second half of May 2025, with moderate drought in Landa de Matamoros and anomalously dry conditions in four other municipios.
- What are anomalously dry conditions? Anomalously dry conditions indicate a state of dryness but are not classified as drought. They can occur before or after a drought period, potentially affecting planting delays or leaving persistent water deficits.
- How does Querétaro’s drought situation compare to 2024? In the first half of August 2025, Querétaro showed better conditions compared to the same period in 2024 when 12 municipios experienced some level of drought.
- Which entities currently have no drought-affected municipalities? Aguascalientes, Colima, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, and Tlaxcala have all their municipalities drought-free as of August 15, 2025.
