Alert archive / New Mexico / Tornado Warnings in 1999
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Albuquerque, NM
NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this tornado warning at May 25, 1999, 2:45 PM MDT for Chaves County, New Mexico. It was in force for 45 min. 2 reports 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, 2:45 PM MDT (20:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 25, 1999, 3:30 PM MDT
- In force
- 45 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 20:49 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2:50 PM MDT | Hail 0.75 | Roswell, NM | Observer reported 20 minutes of dime size hail. |
| May 25, 3:26 PM MDT | Tornado F0 | Roswell, NM |
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
Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 28 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -90 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 717 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 38 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 209 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 314 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
999 WFUS1 KABQ 252047 RRA TORABQ NMC005-252130- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 245 PM MDT TUE MAY 25 1999 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL CHAVES COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO * UNTIL 330 PM MDT * AT 242 PM MDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AND SPOTTER REPORTS INDICATED A TORNADO IN THE VICINITY OF ROSWELL... MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. LAW ENFOREMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS TO THE WEST OF ROSWELL WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS THREATENED BY THIS TORNADO INCLUDE... MIDWAY... DEXTER GREENFIELD AND ROSWELL. WHEN A TORNADO THREATENS...MOVE TO A STORM SHELTER OR INTERIOR ROOM IN YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR STURDY SHELTER OR FIND A NEARBY DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOURSELF. &
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, 5 hours 3 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, 5 hours 3 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 6:45 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Guadalupe | 60 min |
| May 24, 7:28 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Roosevelt | 62 min |
| May 24, 7:41 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Chaves | 64 min |
| May 24, 8:20 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | De Baca, Guadalupe, Quay | 55 min |
| May 24, 8:20 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Chaves, Roosevelt | 55 min |
| May 24, 8:20 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Curry | 55 min |
| May 24, 8:59 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Curry, Roosevelt | 46 min |
| May 25, 1:21 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Chaves | 64 min |
| May 25, 1:58 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | ABQ | Sandoval | 32 min |
| May 25, 2:13 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Chaves | 62 min |
| May 25, 2:21 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | De Baca | 59 min |
| May 25, 2:26 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | ABQ | Sandoval | 34 min |
| May 25, 2:53 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Guadalupe | 62 min |
| May 25, 3:11 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | De Baca | 64 min |
| May 25, 3:30 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | ABQ | Chaves | 45 min |
| May 25, 3:43 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | San Miguel | 62 min |
| May 25, 4:17 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Union | 63 min |
| May 25, 5:25 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | ABQ | Quay | 50 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.