Most of New Mexico experiencing moderate drought conditions

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Despite the start of monsoon season, most of New Mexico is under moderate drought thanks to high temperatures last month and below average rainfall.

The drought conditions are returning a year after the state received a good amount of rainfall.

At the start of winter, there was excitement across New Mexico as forecasters talked about the possibilities of a wet winter thanks to El Nino, a warming trend in the central tropical Pacific that alters weather patterns worldwide.