Alert archive / New Mexico / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Albuquerque, NM

May 25, 1999Sandoval County, New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this tornado warning at May 25, 1999, 1:58 PM MDT for Sandoval County, New Mexico. It was in force for 32 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 25, 1999, 1:58 PM MDT (19:58 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 1999, 2:30 PM MDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Albuquerque, NM
Area
Whole counties

County Sandoval County, NM

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 25, 2:19 PM MDTTornado F0Cuba, NMDeputies reported a rare tornado over the open mesa west of Cuba.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM (KABQ), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 75 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, Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM at 12:00Z on 1999-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 443 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM at 12:00Z on 1999-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 11 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
443 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-155 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1015 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WFUS1 KABQ 252000 RRA
TORABQ
NMC043-252030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
158 PM MDT TUE MAY 25 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN SANDOVAL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO

* UNTIL 230 PM MDT

* AT 156 PM MDT... STORM SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO 27 MILES WEST
  OF CUBA OR 9 MILES SOUTH OF COUNSELORS... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20
  MPH.

THIS STORM IS A THREAT TO PEOPLE ALONG STATE ROUTE 44 NEAR THE
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE.


&

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, May 25, 9:42 AM MDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
NMZ001>021-026-252300-

NEW MEXICO/NORTHERN TWO-THIRDS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
942 AM MDT TUE MAY 25 1999

SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL
DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF NEW MEXICO BY MIDDAY. SOME
OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON MAINLY FROM
OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN EASTWARD. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE
LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND AND HEAVY RAINFALL. ISOLATED TORNADOES
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS THE EASTCENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PLAINS.

SYNOPSIS...A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL COVER THE OUTLOOK AREA
THIS AFTERNOON. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW DRIFTING EASTWARD FROM NORTHWEST
ARIZONA AND SURFACE HEATING WILL PRODUCE THE THUNDERSTORMS. IN
ADDITION...A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE FAR NORTHEAST AND OUTFLOW
BOUNDARIES LEFT OVER FROM LAST NIGHT/S ACTIVITY WILL HELP TO
FOCUS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON ON THE PLAINS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION...WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING GENRALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM RATON TO MORIARTY TO
ROSWELL.

COUNTIES WHERE SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUIRED...
...EASTERN NEW MEXICO...
UNION       HARDING     QUAY        CURRY       ROOSEVELT
COLFAX      MORA        SAN MIGUEL
GUADALUPE   DEBACA      CHAVES

...CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...
SANTA FE    TORRANCE    LINCOLN

...WESTERN AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO...
NONE

FOR THE FAR SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO OUTLOOK...USE PRODUCT LBBSPSMAF.
FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO OUTLOOK USE...LBBSPSELP.

FCSTR KJ/GB
Special weather statement, May 25, 9:42 AM MDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
NMZ001>021-026-252300-

NEW MEXICO/NORTHERN TWO-THIRDS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
942 AM MDT TUE MAY 25 1999

SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL
DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF NEW MEXICO BY MIDDAY. SOME
OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON MAINLY FROM
OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN EASTWARD. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE
LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND AND HEAVY RAINFALL. ISOLATED TORNADOES
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS THE EASTCENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PLAINS.

SYNOPSIS...A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL COVER THE OUTLOOK AREA
THIS AFTERNOON. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW DRIFTING EASTWARD FROM NORTHWEST
ARIZONA AND SURFACE HEATING WILL PRODUCE THE THUNDERSTORMS. IN
ADDITION...A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE FAR NORTHEAST AND OUTFLOW
BOUNDARIES LEFT OVER FROM LAST NIGHT/S ACTIVITY WILL HELP TO
FOCUS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON ON THE PLAINS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION...WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING GENRALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM RATON TO MORIARTY TO
ROSWELL.

COUNTIES WHERE SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUIRED...
...EASTERN NEW MEXICO...
UNION       HARDING     QUAY        CURRY       ROOSEVELT
COLFAX      MORA        SAN MIGUEL
GUADALUPE   DEBACA      CHAVES

...CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...
SANTA FE    TORRANCE    LINCOLN

...WESTERN AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO...
NONE

FOR THE FAR SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO OUTLOOK...USE PRODUCT LBBSPSMAF.
FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO OUTLOOK USE...LBBSPSELP.

FCSTR KJ/GB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 6:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQGuadalupe60 min
May 24, 7:28 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQRoosevelt62 min
May 24, 7:41 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQChaves64 min
May 24, 8:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQDe Baca, Guadalupe, Quay55 min
May 24, 8:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQChaves, Roosevelt55 min
May 24, 8:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQCurry55 min
May 24, 8:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQCurry, Roosevelt46 min
May 25, 1:21 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQChaves64 min
May 25, 2:13 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQChaves62 min
May 25, 2:21 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQDe Baca59 min
May 25, 2:26 PM MDTTornado WarningABQSandoval34 min
May 25, 2:45 PM MDTTornado WarningABQChaves45 min
May 25, 2:53 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQGuadalupe62 min
May 25, 3:11 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQDe Baca64 min
May 25, 3:30 PM MDTTornado WarningABQChaves45 min
May 25, 3:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQSan Miguel62 min
May 25, 4:17 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQUnion63 min
May 25, 5:25 PM MDTTornado WarningABQQuay50 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in New Mexico, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes in 1999

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.