Editor’s Note: El Paso Matters is partnering with Gigafact to produce “fact briefs” that examine claims about issues shaping our community. 

YES.

El Paso saw 4.34 inches of rainfall in 2023.

For the past three years, El Paso and other Texas cities have experienced drought conditions on and off. Levels of drought are determined by factors such as short- and long-term precipitation levels, snowpack, humidity, lake and reservoir levels, soil moisture and vegetation health.

Drought, lack of rain and increasing temperatures contribute to an increase in water demand, according to the El Paso Water water resources manager. El Paso’s water supply relies on sources like Elephant Butte Lake in New Mexico, whose water derives from snowpack from the Rio Grande watershed.

El Paso’s average yearly temperatures have increased since the 1980s. The city last year experienced its hottest year in more than 130 years.

Total rainfall in El Paso through April this year was 0.81 inches, compared to 0.69 inches in that time period in 2023.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Brandy Ruiz is an audience engagement reporter at El Paso Matters. She joined the staff in 2021 as a social media intern, completed a summer fellowship at the Texas Tribune and graduated with a degree...