Overview of the Drought Situation in Querétaro
Querétaro, Qro. The rains during the second half of May have helped to lessen the drought that was beginning to spread across Querétaro.
Between the first and second halves of May, there was a significant reduction in the area with moderate drought, decreasing by 71.9 percentage points, according to the Mexico Drought Monitor (MSM).
Querétaro transitioned from having 72.4% of its area affected by moderate drought to only 0.5% by the end of May, as reported by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA)’s MSM.
Additionally, the area with conditions of abnormally dry – occurring before or after a period of drought – dropped by 13.4 percentage points, falling from 27.6% of the area experiencing these conditions on May 15 to 14.2% by month’s end.
By the end of May, 85.3% of Querétaro’s area was free from drought impact, showing significant recovery compared to the previous quarter when all areas experienced some level of drought.
Drought Status in Querétaro’s Municipalities
The number of municipalities affected by drought decreased, moving from 17 municipalities with moderate drought to just one with that level of drought between the reference quarters.
By May 31, four municipios were experiencing abnormal dryness, and 13 were free from drought impact or outside any of the four drought grades (moderate, severe, extreme, and exceptional).
Drought in Landa de Matamoros
Among the 18 municipalities, Landa de Matamoros is the only one that experienced drought by month’s end; situated in Querétaro’s Sierra Gorda, it has been under moderate drought for two months.
Four more municipios (Pinal de Amoles, Cadereyta de Montes, Jalpan de Serra, and San Joaquín) ended in abnormally dry conditions after experiencing moderate drought in the previous quarter.
The remaining 13 municipalities had no drought impact, though most were under moderate drought during the first quarter and before.
The recent rains have contributed to the recovery observed in the territory during the latter part of May.
Rainfall Patterns in Mexico
Among the first five months of 2025, May recorded the highest precipitation in Querétaro, according to CONAGUA reports. In January, the state received 3.4 mm of rainfall; in February, it was 8.2 mm; in March and April, it was 0.4 mm each; and in May, it reached 73.9 mm.
During the second half of May, there were above-average rainfalls in northeastern, western, central, eastern, and southern regions of the country, which helped reduce moderate drought areas in central-western and central-north region entities.
However, rainfall deficits were detected in northern and southern western regions.
By May 31, 40.3% of Mexico’s territory was experiencing moderate to exceptional drought, representing a 9.1 percentage point reduction from the previous quarter.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the current drought situation in Querétaro? The rains during the second half of May have helped alleviate drought conditions in Querétaro, with only 0.5% of the area affected by moderate drought by the end of May, down from 72.4% in the beginning of the month.
- Which municipalities are still experiencing drought? Landa de Matamoros is the only municipality currently affected by drought, while four others (Pinal de Amoles, Cadereyta de Montes, Jalpan de Serra, and San Joaquín) are experiencing abnormally dry conditions.
- How have rainfall patterns impacted Querétaro? May had the highest precipitation among the first five months of 2025, with 73.9 mm of rainfall, contributing to the drought recovery observed in Querétaro.
- What is the national drought situation? As of May 31, 40.3% of Mexico’s territory experienced moderate to exceptional drought, a 9.1 percentage point decrease from the previous quarter.
