Alert archive / New Mexico / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2023

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Albuquerque, NM

May 10, 2023Colfax County, Union County, New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 10, 2023, 2:27 PM MDT for Colfax County, Union County, New Mexico. It was in force for 22 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
May 10, 2023, 2:27 PM MDT (20:27 UTC)
Expired
May 10, 2023, 2:49 PM MDT
In force
22 min
Issued by
NWS Albuquerque, NM
Area
Storm-based polygon
Damage threat
Considerable
Hail
0.75 in
Wind
70.0 mph

Counties Colfax County, NM, Union County, NM

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 213 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:28 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 10, 2:21 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 393 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2023-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 813 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2023-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 90 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
813 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-258 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
905 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
266 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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.

NWS Albuquerque, NM wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 10, 12:13 PM MDT, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 12:13 PM MDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
1213 PM MDT Wed May 10 2023

...New UPDATE, AVIATION...

.UPDATE...
Issued at 1156 AM MDT Wed May 10 2023

Expanded Wind Advisory to include all of the eastern plains since
the speed maximum aloft is forecast to cross eastern areas during
peak mixing this afternoon. Plains locations will mix near 500 mb.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
Issued at 148 AM MDT Wed May 10 2023

A Pacific storm system will approach today, bringing strong
southerly winds to much of the area, with areas of blowing dust by
afternoon. A few strong to severe thunderstorms are possible near
the Texas and Oklahoma borders through this evening. The Pacific
system will move over tonight, bringing showers to the northern
mountains with the potential for a few inches of snow accumulation
across the peaks. Windy conditions will persist into Thursday,
mainly along and east of the central mountain chain. Moisture will
increase over the area this weekend as a backdoor cold front
moves through, bringing cooler conditions and good chances for
showers and storms that will persist into next week.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Thursday)
Issued at 148 AM MDT Wed May 10 2023

Upper low along the SoCal coast has pushed inland via current
satellite imagery and will continue its tour through the Desert
Southwest today. Meanwhile, a lee-side sfc low will deepen to an
impressive 992mb, while above average warmth help to push mixing
heights well near 500mb. This will set the scene for strong
southerly and southwesterly winds this afternoon across northern and
central NM, where gusts of 40 to 50 mph will be common. The
strongest winds look to favor the RGV, and a rogue gust of 55+ mph
cannot be ruled out. Did opt to expand the Wind Advisory a few zones
to the east to account for greater spatial coverage of advisory-
level winds with this fcst package.

Meanwhile, additional moisture and instability will work to fuel a
crop of thunderstorms favoring the northwest plateau and eastern
plains. Most of the storms will trend drier, sporting the threat of
erratic downburst winds. Across the east, however, the potential
exists for a storm or two to become severe. The environment still
lacks adequate shear to suggest that storms will be able to become
organized, with most soundings touting suboptimal values under 35
kts. Nonetheless, the ingredients exist for an ambitious storm to be
capable of damaging winds and large hail before quickly pushing off
into TX.

The low's accompanying Pacific front will slide into the state
Wednesday evening, progging east through the overnight hours. The
upper low swings into CO Wednesday night, allowing for instability,
lift, and moisture for showers and storms to persist across northern
NM. Cooler temperatures will be left in the system's wake on
Thursday and drier air takes hold. Breezy to windy conditions will
return, especially across the northwest plateau to the central mts,
including their adjacent highlands and plains.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Thursday night through Tuesday)
Issued at 148 AM MDT Wed May 10 2023

A few showers may persist from the northern mountains through the
adjacent northeast highlands Thursday night as the upper low
continues slowly northeast into east central CO. Winds aloft will
weaken significantly on Friday, which looks to be the best weather
day of the week with daytime temperatures within a few degrees of
normal.

A significant synoptic pattern change is expected this weekend
that will bring the development of a convoluted Rex Block, with
the upper high setting up over southern British Columbia/WA and a
broad upper low extending from the Great Basin south to over the
Baja Peninsula. This development will bring an end to the recent
warm, dry and windy conditions in favor of moist and cooler
conditions with much less wind for most of the area. Moisture
advection will begin in earnest Friday night and continue through
Saturday as Gulf moisture surges northwest across the area and a
backdoor cold front slides southwest through the state, bringing
good chances for showers and storms and much cooler temperatures.
PWATs are forecast to surge well above normal most areas by late
Saturday. However, instability will be significantly limited by
the cooler airmass moving in behind the backdoor front, especially
by Sunday when storms may be confined to areas along/west of the
Continental Divide. At this time, Saturday looks to be the more
impactful day in terms of the potential for burn scar flooding and
flooding of already swollen creeks and streams from ongoing
snowmelt. In addition, strong east canyon/gap winds will likely
develop late Friday night and continue through Saturday in the Rio
Grande and upper Tularosa Valleys with the passage of the
backdoor front. The Rex Block is forecast to break down early next
week, with a new one forming as another upper high sets up over
NV/UT and the upper low gets confined to over the Baja Peninsula.
Moisture is forecast to linger over the area Mon/Tue, with below
normal daytime temperatures and daily rounds of showers and storms.

&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1156 AM MDT Wed May 10 2023

Strong south and southwest winds today will shift out of the
northwest tonight into Thursday morning as a Pacific cold front
crosses. Wind gusts will probably peak near 45 kt across central
areas this afternoon. Airport weather warning for 35 kt gusts has
already verified at KABQ, and will hit more consistently late this
afternoon into the early evening. In addition, scattered to isolated
showers and thunderstorms are forecast over west central,
northwest, northeast and east central areas this afternoon, with
rain and high terrain snow showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms
over the northern mountains tonight (with mountain obscurations).
Storms over western areas will produce mainly dry microbursts
this afternoon and evening with erratic wind gusts potentially
over 45 kt. A mix of wet and dry microbursts are expected across
eastern areas with the wetter cells favoring northeast areas,
where a few severe storms may produce wind gusts over 50 kt and
large hail this afternoon and evening. There will also be a
chance for low level wind shear over west central areas, and in
the lee of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, overnight tonight.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 148 AM MDT Wed May 10 2023

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO BECOME WIDESPREAD TODAY, THEN
PERSIST ACROSS MOST AREAS THROUGH THURSDAY...

Strengthening southwest flow aloft in the presence of deep-layer
mixing will lead to an afternoon of widespread strong winds today.
South and southwesterly winds will be capable of gusts between 40
and 50 mph, with some locales seeing isolated gusts of 55-60 mph.
Frontal passage will force a quick wind shift to the west after 1800
hrs across western zones, pushing east through the overnight hours.
While a slight improvement to humidity is expected, single digit
minimum values will still reign supreme. The winds and low humidity
are accompanied by continued unstable conditions, as an upper low
makes its approach to the area. Showers and thunderstorms will be
possible, particularly across the northwestern plateau and eastern
plains. Save for storms close to the NM/TX border, expect storms to
trend drier, creating the risk for dry lightning. Storms near the
border will have the potential of becoming strong to severe. All
cells that develop will be capable of sudden and erratic downburst
winds. Overnight recovery will be once again poor to moderate, with
some areas of the high terrain recovering to good. Another day of
critical fire weather conditions is on tap Thursday for most areas,
where breezy to windy west winds will combine with low humidity,
though conditions will not be as unfavorable as Wednesday. A cooler
and wetter scenario is anticipated this weekend into early next
week.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Farmington......................  75  42  74  42 /  20  20   0   0
Dulce...........................  75  36  69  34 /  10  30  10   5
Cuba............................  73  36  69  38 /  10  30   0   0
Gallup..........................  66  33  71  34 /  20  10   0   0
El Morro........................  63  33  66  37 /  20  20   0   0
Grants..........................  71  33  72  32 /  10  10   0   0
Quemado.........................  66  34  69  37 /  10   5   0   0
Magdalena.......................  73  41  72  44 /   0   0   0   0
Datil...........................  67  36  68  39 /   0   0   0   0
Reserve.........................  68  28  75  32 /   0   0   0   0
Glenwood........................  74  38  78  44 /   0   0   0   0
Chama...........................  69  32  61  32 /  10  40  20  10
Los Alamos......................  73  43  68  45 /   0  20   5   0
Pecos...........................  75  39  68  43 /  10  10   5   0
Cerro/Questa....................  71  38  59  38 /  20  30  30  10
Red River.......................  63  32  52  32 /  20  40  40  20
Angel Fire......................  69  29  58  29 /  20  30  20  10
Taos............................  77  35  67  33 /  10  20  10  10
Mora............................  73  37  66  39 /  20  10  10   5
Espanola........................  82  42  76  42 /   5  20   5   0
Santa Fe........................  76  41  69  45 /   5  20   5   0
Santa Fe Airport................  78  39  73  40 /   0  10   0   0
Albuquerque Foothills...........  78  48  75  53 /   0  10   0   0
Albuquerque Heights.............  79  46  77  50 /   0   5   0   0
Albuquerque Valley..............  82  44  80  47 /   0   5   0   0
Albuquerque West Mesa...........  81  46  78  48 /   0   5   0   0
Belen...........................  81  43  80  45 /   0   0   0   0
Bernalillo......................  81  46  78  48 /   0  10   0   0
Bosque Farms....................  82  41  80  43 /   0   5   0   0
Corrales........................  81  46  78  48 /   0  10   0   0
Los Lunas.......................  81  42  80  43 /   0   5   0   0
Placitas........................  79  46  75  49 /   0  10   0   0
Rio Rancho......................  80  46  77  49 /   0  10   0   0
Socorro.........................  81  46  82  47 /   0   0   0   0
Sandia Park/Cedar Crest.........  73  41  69  46 /   0  10   0   0
Tijeras.........................  75  42  72  46 /   0   5   0   0
Edgewood........................  75  41  71  43 /   0   5   0   0
Moriarty/Estancia...............  77  36  73  37 /   0   0   0   0
Clines Corners..................  75  37  69  41 /   0   0   0   0
Mountainair.....................  75  40  72  44 /   0   0   0   0
Gran Quivira....................  75  40  72  44 /   0   0   0   0
Carrizozo.......................  79  45  76  50 /   0   0   0   0
Ruidoso.........................  73  41  69  45 /   0   0   0   0
Capulin.........................  76  40  67  38 /  50  30  20  10
Raton...........................  79  39  71  38 /  30  20  20  10
Springer........................  80  41  73  40 /  30  20  10   5
Las Vegas.......................  77  39  71  40 /  20   5   5   0
Clayton.........................  83  48  76  45 /  50  50   5  10
Roy.............................  80  43  74  44 /  30  20   5   0
Conchas.........................  89  49  82  47 /  20  20   0   0
Santa Rosa......................  86  47  79  46 /  10   5   0   0
Tucumcari.......................  88  49  82  48 /  30  30   0   0
Clovis..........................  88  47  82  48 /  30  30   0   0
Portales........................  90  48  83  48 /  20  30   0   0
Fort Sumner.....................  90  47  82  48 /  10   5   0   0
Roswell.........................  94  52  88  52 /   0   0   0   0
Picacho.........................  86  47  79  50 /   0   0   0   0
Elk.............................  80  42  76  46 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Red Flag Warning until 10 PM MDT this evening for NMZ101-104>106-
109-120>126.

Fire Weather Watch from Thursday afternoon through Thursday
evening for NMZ101-104-106-121-123>126.

Wind Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ207>241.

&&

SHORT TERM...12
LONG TERM....11
AVIATION...44

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 10, 2:20 PM MDT, 7 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 7:45 AM MDTRiver Flood AdvisoryABQRio Arriba48 hr
May 10, 2:16 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQColfax17 min
May 10, 2:20 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementABQColfax40 min
May 10, 3:17 PM MDTRed Flag WarningABQBernalillo, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Guadalupe, Lincoln and 8 more29 hr
May 10, 3:17 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementABQUnion28 min
May 10, 3:51 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementABQColfax24 min
May 10, 4:14 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementABQColfax46 min
May 10, 4:56 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementABQQuay34 min
May 10, 4:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQQuay32 min
May 10, 5:21 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQUnion24 min
May 10, 5:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQHarding, Quay, Union45 min
May 10, 5:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQUnion30 min
May 10, 5:59 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementABQCurry, Quay, Roosevelt31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Mexico, 2023Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2023

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.