Agro-Ecoregions Weather

"Climatograms" portray the weather in each agro-egoregion, the crucial conversation of agrarian life. Two graphic lines (the rain/snowfall line and the temperature line) define dry and wet periods. When rain exceeds temperature, the soil moisture can support plant growth. When the temperature exceeds rain, soils dry quickly, plants transpire large volumes of water, and the crops may wilt. Below the climatogram, the solid black line covers months with many days at or below freezing. Cross-hatch (when data were available) represents months above freezing, but with one or more below. Green bar is months without freezing (safe-growing season).

Note how: growing season shrinks going north and up in elevation; summer rains in Roswell and the winter/snow on the Colorado plateau define their wet seasons; aridity is year-long in NM near El Paso; summer drought can occur in the north-east through high evapotranspiration, despite good rainfall. Farming has partially overcome weather constraints by irrigation and greenhouses. Grass for livestock still depends almost completely on weather.