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SANTA FE 鈥� After a warm, dry winter led to New Mexico鈥檚 earliest snow melt-off in years, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is raising the alarm about the desiccation of the state.

The governor Wednesday warning of a dangerous wildfire season, while also urging communities around the state to implement water-use restrictions and fireworks bans.

Under state law, the governor does not have the authority to unilaterally issue a statewide ban on firework sales or usage.

New Mexico experienced 366 recorded wildfires during the first four months of this year, the Governor鈥檚 Office said. That鈥檚 roughly twice the number of fires from the same time period a year ago.

The elevated wildfire risk has already prompted the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in northern New Mexico to postpone its planned reopening for a week. 

State Forester Laura McCarthy said state officials have been responding to new wildfires daily, even after a ban on campfires, smoking and other types of outdoor burning on public lands was implemented last month.

鈥淓veryone should take drought conditions seriously and refrain from campfires and open burning,鈥� McCarthy said in a statement.

As of this week, more than 94% of New Mexico was , with about 17.6% of the state 鈥� especially in the northeast and Four Corners region 鈥� in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Those figures are up from the start of this year, when about 71.4% of the state was classified as being in a drought.

Brian Guyer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, said the drought conditions will likely worsen when new reports are issued Thursday.

But he said there could be relief coming, as New Mexico may be in store for a wetter-than-normal monsoon season this summer.

Such precipitation could help put an end to the annual fire season, but would not totally alleviate the state鈥檚 drought conditions, Guyer said.

That鈥檚 because snowmelt is crucial to filling the state鈥檚 rivers and reservoirs, and the state鈥檚 snowpack levels during March and April were the lowest in recent state history.

鈥淲e had the warmest winter on record for New Mexico,鈥� said Guyer, who added the winter was also the 16th-driest on record.

The increase in wildfires and floods around New Mexico has come with an elevated price tag, as Lujan Grisham has already authorized $137 million in emergency spending during the current fiscal year 鈥� much of it on wildfire and flood response efforts.

The spike in emergency spending has caught the attention of lawmakers and prompted a tug-of-war of sorts between the legislative and executive branches. After this year鈥檚 30-day session, Lujan Grisham vetoed a measure that would have imposed a cap on such spending without legislative approval.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on Twitter at or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.