Groundwater Depletion Maps Reveal Depths of “Extreme” and “Exceptional” Mexican Drought

Mexico’s severe drought since 2023 has led to critical water shortages, especially in Mexico City, with drastically lowered reservoir and groundwater levels, though seasonal rains may offer some relief.

Beginning in the summer of 2023, one of the most severe droughts that Mexico has faced in more than a decade began to bake the North American country. Over the following year, the drought intensified and spread widely.

“Extreme” and “exceptional” drought, as classified by the North American Drought Monitor, now afflicts several states in Mexico. States experiencing these categories of drought include Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Durango in northern Mexico, as well as Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Querétaro, and Hidalgo farther south.