Alert archive / New Mexico / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 145, NWS Albuquerque, NM

July 3, 1997Chaves County, New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 3, 1997, 8:35 PM MDT for Chaves County, New Mexico. It was in force for 60 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 3, 1997, 8:35 PM MDT (02:35 UTC)
Expired
Jul 3, 1997, 9:35 PM MDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Albuquerque, NM
Area
Whole counties

County Chaves County, NM

The radar

The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 157 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:36 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 264 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1997-07-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 765 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1997-07-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 4 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
765 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2358 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KABQ 040237 RRA
SVRABQ
NMC005-040335-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
835 PM MDT THU JUL 3 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 935 PM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO

   ...NORTHERN CHAVES COUNTY

AT 830 PM MDT...A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS INDICATED BY
DOPPLER RADAR FROM 23 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF ROSWELL TO 2O MILES
NORTH NORTHWEST OF KENNA.  THE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS 10 TO
15 MILES WIDE AND IS MOVING TOWARDS THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST AT 25
MPH.

THE LINE OF SEVERE STORMS WILL REACH U.S. HIGHWAY 70 BETWEEN 900
PM AN 915 PM AND AFFECT THE COMMUNITY OF ELKINS.  THUNDERSTORMS MAY
PROPOGATE SOUTHWEST INTO THE ROSWELL AREA AFTER 915 PM.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVYx RAIN. FOR YOUR
PROTECTION...MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 3, 4:26 PM MDT, 4 hours 9 minutes before
NMZ003-009-015-023-040430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
426 PM MDT THU JUL 3 1997

...GUSTY WINDS INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...

A COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTHWARD DOWN THE EASTERN NEW MEXICO PLAINS
WILL PUSH WESTWARD INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THIS EVENING. AS THE
WINDS SURGE THROUGH THE PASSES IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN
CHAIN...GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY ALONG THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY FROM
AROUND SANTA FE SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE
VALLEY TO TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES.

EAST WINDS ARE LIKELY IN THE MIDDLE AND UPPER PORTIONS OF THE RIO
GRANDE BEGINNING THIS EVENING. SPEEDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WILL BE
COMMON WITH GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH DOWNWIND OF MOUNTAIN PASSES. IN THE
SOUTHERN PART OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...WINDS WILL BECOME NORTH
LATER TONIGHT AND GUST ABOVE 25 MPH.

BOATERS FROM COCHITI LAKE SOUTHWARD THROUGH ELEPHANT BUTTE AND
CABALLO RESERVOIRS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF GUSTY
WINDS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. WINDS WILL DIMINISH BY MIDDAY
FRIDAY.
Special weather statement, Jul 3, 4:30 PM MDT, 4 hours 5 minutes before
NMZ003-009-015-023-040430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
426 PM MDT THU JUL 3 1997

...GUSTY WINDS INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...

A COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTHWARD DOWN THE EASTERN NEW MEXICO PLAINS
WILL PUSH WESTWARD INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THIS EVENING. AS THE
WINDS SURGE THROUGH THE PASSES IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN
CHAIN...GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY ALONG THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY FROM
AROUND SANTA FE SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE
VALLEY TO TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES.

EAST WINDS ARE LIKELY IN THE MIDDLE AND UPPER PORTIONS OF THE RIO
GRANDE BEGINNING THIS EVENING. SPEEDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WILL BE
COMMON WITH GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH DOWNWIND OF MOUNTAIN PASSES. IN THE
SOUTHERN PART OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...WINDS WILL BECOME NORTH
LATER TONIGHT AND GUST ABOVE 25 MPH.

BOATERS FROM COCHITI LAKE SOUTHWARD THROUGH ELEPHANT BUTTE AND
CABALLO RESERVOIRS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF GUSTY
WINDS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. WINDS WILL DIMINISH BY MIDDAY
FRIDAY.
Special weather statement, Jul 3, 6:17 PM MDT, 2 hours 18 minutes before
NMZ019-040130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
618 PM MDT THU JUL 3 1997

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE ROSWELL AREA THROUGH 730 PM
MDT.

LOCAL RAINFALLS ALMOUNTING TO A HALF INCH...WIND GUSTS TO 45
MPH...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL WILL
CHARACTERIZE THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH ROSWELL AND NEARBY
COMMUNTIES.
Special weather statement, Jul 3, 6:18 PM MDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
NMZ019-040130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
618 PM MDT THU JUL 3 1997

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE ROSWELL AREA THROUGH 730 PM
MDT.

LOCAL RAINFALLS AMOUNTING TO A HALF INCH...WIND GUSTS TO 45
MPH...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL WILL
CHARACTERIZE THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH ROSWELL AND NEARBY
COMMUNTIES.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albuquerque, NM issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 3, 6:05 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQGuadalupe60 min
Jul 3, 6:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQDe Baca61 min
Jul 3, 7:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQDe Baca35 min
Jul 3, 7:43 PM MDTTornado WarningABQDe Baca32 min
Jul 3, 9:08 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQRoosevelt62 min
Jul 4, 3:49 PM MDTTornado WarningABQCibola36 min
Jul 4, 4:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQSocorro63 min
Jul 4, 5:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQSocorro56 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Mexico, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.