High Wind Warning 7, NWS Albuquerque, NM

748 
WWUS75 KABQ 211505
NPWABQ

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
805 AM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

NMZ226-240-212315-
/O.CON.KABQ.HW.W.0007.240221T1800Z-240222T0200Z/
South Central Mountains-Southwest Chaves County-
805 AM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 60 mph 
  expected.

* WHERE...South Central Mountains and Southwest Chaves County.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM MST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. 
  Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, 
  especially for high profile vehicles.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Take action to secure trash cans, lawn furniture, and other loose or 
lightweight outdoor objects. Extremely hazardous driving conditions 
can be expected, especially for motorists in high profile vehicles 
who should consider delaying travel.

&&

$$

NMZ228-233-212315-
/O.EXA.KABQ.WI.Y.0011.240221T1800Z-240222T0200Z/
Far Northeast Highlands-Guadalupe County-
805 AM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 30 to 39 mph with gusts up to 55 mph 
  expected.

* WHERE...Guadalupe County and Far Northeast Highlands.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM MST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree 
  limbs may be blown down. Expect strong crosswinds on area roadways.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

&&

$$

NMZ208-214-215-221-223>225-227-229-238-239-212315-
/O.CON.KABQ.WI.Y.0011.240221T1800Z-240222T0200Z/
Southwest Mountains-Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains-East
Slopes Sangre de Cristo Mountains-Sandia/Manzano Mountains
Including Edgewood-Central Highlands-South Central Highlands-
Upper Tularosa Valley-Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton
Pass-Northeast Highlands-Chaves County Plains-Eastern Lincoln
County-
805 AM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 30 to 39 mph with gusts up to 55 mph 
  expected.

* WHERE...Portions of central, north central, northeast, southeast, 
  and west central New Mexico.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM MST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree 
  limbs may be blown down. Expect strong crosswinds on area roadways.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

&&

$$

MA

090 
WWUS75 KABQ 212205
NPWABQ

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
305 PM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

NMZ226-240-220200-
/O.CON.KABQ.HW.W.0007.000000T0000Z-240222T0200Z/
South Central Mountains-Southwest Chaves County-
305 PM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 60 mph 
  expected.

* WHERE...South Central Mountains and Southwest Chaves County.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM MST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. 
  Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, 
  especially for high profile vehicles. Blowing sand and dust will 
  create locally reduced visibility.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Take action to secure trash cans, lawn furniture, and other loose or 
lightweight outdoor objects. Extremely hazardous driving conditions 
can be expected, especially for motorists in high profile vehicles 
who should consider delaying travel.

&&

$$

NMZ208-214-215-221-223>225-227>229-233-238-239-220200-
/O.CON.KABQ.WI.Y.0011.000000T0000Z-240222T0200Z/
Southwest Mountains-Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains-East
Slopes Sangre de Cristo Mountains-Sandia/Manzano Mountains
Including Edgewood-Central Highlands-South Central Highlands-
Upper Tularosa Valley-Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton
Pass-Far Northeast Highlands-Northeast Highlands-Guadalupe County-
Chaves County Plains-Eastern Lincoln County-
305 PM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...West winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.

* WHERE...Portions of central, east central, north central, 
  northeast, southeast, and west central New Mexico.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM MST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree 
  limbs may be blown down. Expect strong crosswinds on area roadways.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high 
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

&&

$$

24

711 
WWUS75 KABQ 220136
NPWABQ

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
636 PM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

NMZ226-240-220245-
/O.EXP.KABQ.HW.W.0007.000000T0000Z-240222T0200Z/
South Central Mountains-Southwest Chaves County-
636 PM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

...HIGH WIND WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM MST THIS EVENING...

Windy conditions will persist through the evening hours, but well 
below warning criteria.

$$

NMZ208-214-215-221-223>225-227>229-233-238-239-220245-
/O.EXP.KABQ.WI.Y.0011.000000T0000Z-240222T0200Z/
Southwest Mountains-Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains-East
Slopes Sangre de Cristo Mountains-Sandia/Manzano Mountains
Including Edgewood-Central Highlands-South Central Highlands-
Upper Tularosa Valley-Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton
Pass-Far Northeast Highlands-Northeast Highlands-Guadalupe County-
Chaves County Plains-Eastern Lincoln County-
636 PM MST Wed Feb 21 2024

...WIND ADVISORY WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM MST THIS EVENING...

Winds will continue to decrease through the evening, therefore the 
Wind Advisory will be allowed to expire.

$$

11

Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
1026 PM MST Tue Feb 20 2024

...New AVIATION...

.SYNOPSIS...
Issued at 320 PM MST Tue Feb 20 2024

A warm night is in store across the northern two-thirds of New
Mexico with overnight lows generally 10-20 degrees above normal.
It will be a breezy to windy Wednesday for most areas, with high
temperatures well above normal, especially in eastern New Mexico.
Meanwhile, low humidities will combine with the winds to create
hazardous fire weather conditions for locations generally along
and east of the Rio Grande Valley. Hazardous crosswinds on north-
south oriented roads will also be a concern. A few showers could
clip northwest New Mexico on Wednesday, but no appreciable snow
accumulations are expected. Cooler readings are expected behind a
cold front on Thursday, sending highs closer to seasonal normals.
Expect high pressure to build over the state for the latter part
of the work week sending temperatures back above seasonal averages,
followed by an increasing threat for precipitation early next week
as the next Pacific system invades the southwest United States.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(This evening through Wednesday night)
Issued at 320 PM MST Tue Feb 20 2024

A ridge of high pressure sits squarely over NM this afternoon with
breezy to locally windy westerlies having developed most areas.
Downslope compressional warming coupled with mostly sunny skies and
the ridge have pushed temperatures into the 70s across eastern NM.
This is a taste of what's to come Wednesday, especially for the
southeastern half of the forecast area. The upper level ridge will
slide east, replaced by a shortwave trough that has a strong 90-95kt
H5 jetmax associated with it. These strong winds will move over the
South-Central Mountains (Ruidoso area) Wednesday afternoon. Deep
vertical mixing and a deepening 999mb MSLP lee-side surface low over
southeastern CO will act to tap into this strong wind potential.
Sustained winds of 25 to 40 mph with peak gusts to 55 mph will be
possible from the Sandia/Manzano peaks southward through the
highlands and over the Sacramento Mountains and over the adjacent
eastern plains Wednesday afternoon. A new Wind Advisory has been
issued for the highest confidence areas for these winds that include
Eastern Lincoln and Southwest Chaves Counties, and the South-Central
Mountains. An expansion to the Northeastern Highlands and Central
Highlands may be warranted by the morning.

There is low precipitation potential with this system and it will
skirt the NM/CO border from the Four Corners area to the Tusas
Mountains including Chama. High elevation snow and valley rain will
be the main precipitation type Wednesday afternoon, with very little
accumulation. Conditions clear out as winds taper off Wednesday
evening.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Thursday through Monday)
Issued at 320 PM MST Tue Feb 20 2024

Quieter weather conditions are expected over the CWFA on Thursday,
with winds diminishing during the morning hours. The exception will
be across the northeast plains in the wake of a backdoor front that
will slide southward through the eastern plains. Cold air advection
will have an impact on high temperatures, with readings much closer
to seasonal averages.

High amplitude ridge develops in the Intermountain West with weak
northwest flow lingering over the CWFA. High temperatures will be
a tick warmer under mostly sunny skies. Ridge axis pivots eastward
on Saturday and will be squarely over NM. NAEFS indicates 500 hPa
heights will be one standard deviation above late-February normals,
and this will support readings 5-15F above normal. Increasing high
clouds can be expected across western NM. A speed max is progged to
track across northern NM late Sat into Sat night, and this would
favor some breezy conditions over the northern ridgetops into the
northeast plains.

Southwest flow will increase on Sunday in advance of the next storm
system and this will support further strengthening of surface wind
speeds. Additional warming can be expected with another 80F day in
store for parts of Chaves County. Top-down moistening is likely over
western NM. In fact, a few rain/mountain snow showers will start to
develop over the western and northern zones, especially Sunday night.

Closed upper low in the vicinity of 30N/130W will start to fill and
shift eastward for early next week. This will bring increased juice
to the southwest U.S. and chances for precipitation. Gradient aloft
also increases, supporting stronger winds compared to the weekend.
There are timing differences noted within the ensemble guidance. It
appears that ~65 pct of the members maintain a slower/closed low a
bit longer than the second most common solution that fills this upr
low more quickly and more progressive in movement. Regardless, all
solutions favor this low merging/phasing with an upstream and much
colder upr level trough that is originating from northwest Canada.
DPorter

&&

.AVIATION...
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 917 PM MST Tue Feb 20 2024

VFR conditions prevail and are forecast to persist, except at KROW
late Wednesday afternoon when strong westerly winds will create
blowing dust and may limit vsby to IFR. Otherwise, strong and
gusty west-southwest winds are forecast Wednesday, with frequent
gusts to between 30-40kts. An Airport Weather Warning may be

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 320 PM MST Tue Feb 20 2024

Widespread critical fire weather is forecast for most areas along
and east of the Rio Grande Valley with the exception of the Upper
Rio Grande Valley and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. A fast moving
upper level trough will bring strong westerly winds across the
forecast area Wednesday afternoon. Sustained wind speeds will range
from 25 to 40 mph with peak gusts to 55 mph with the strongest winds
focused through the Sandia/Manzano's southward to the South-Central
Mountains and over the adjacent highlands including Lincoln,
Torrance, Guadalupe, and San Miguel Counties. Incredibly dry
conditions will accompany these strong winds, showcased by dewpoints
near 0F dropping MinRHs into the single-digits over portions of the
highlands and east-central plains. All told, critical fire weather
conditions will result with ERC's near to slightly above normal for
February being the only questionable factor. This area will include
the Rio Grande Valley from the ABQ Metro southward, and westward
toward Laguna Pueblo to Magdalena. Therefore, the Fire Weather Watch
has been upgraded to a Red Flag Warning except for the West-Central
Basin and Range (Zone 109) where the conditions were most marginal
and ERCs were least receptive to new fire starts.

Winds subside by Wednesday evening with cooler weather filling
behind a cold front Wednesday night into Thursday morning. This will
end the critical fire weather event. Temperatures fall back to near
normal with much calmer winds Thursday. The next ridge of high
pressure slides over Friday through Sunday allowing for temperatures
to rebound back above normal along with breezy afternoons. A cooler
and wetter weather pattern returns by the start of next week.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Farmington......................  33  59  31  54 /   0  20   0   0
Dulce...........................  26  56  23  51 /   0  30  10   5
Cuba............................  32  56  27  49 /   0  10   5   0
Gallup..........................  28  55  24  53 /   0  10   0   0
El Morro........................  30  54  29  50 /   0  10   0   0
Grants..........................  25  59  26  54 /   0   0   0   0
Quemado.........................  32  57  28  51 /   0   0   0   0
Magdalena.......................  38  60  31  55 /   0   0   0   0
Datil...........................  32  54  29  51 /   0   0   0   0
Reserve.........................  28  59  24  60 /   0   0   0   0
Glenwood........................  40  63  35  64 /   0   0   0   0
Chama...........................  25  48  21  45 /   0  20  10  10
Los Alamos......................  36  54  30  49 /   0   5   5   0
Pecos...........................  34  56  30  51 /   0   0   0   0
Cerro/Questa....................  37  49  30  46 /   0   5   5   0
Red River.......................  25  44  18  42 /   0   5  10   5
Angel Fire......................  18  44  15  40 /   0   5   5   0
Taos............................  27  54  23  49 /   0   5   5   0
Mora............................  32  56  27  51 /   0   0   0   0
Espanola........................  31  63  29  57 /   0   0   0   0
Santa Fe........................  37  57  31  51 /   0   5   0   0
Santa Fe Airport................  35  59  30  54 /   0   0   0   0
Albuquerque Foothills...........  44  64  36  57 /   0   0   0   0
Albuquerque Heights.............  38  66  35  59 /   0   0   0   0
Albuquerque Valley..............  32  68  33  61 /   0   0   0   0
Albuquerque West Mesa...........  37  65  34  59 /   0   0   0   0
Belen...........................  26  68  32  62 /   0   0   0   0
Bernalillo......................  36  66  34  59 /   0   0   0   0
Bosque Farms....................  27  67  31  61 /   0   0   0   0
Corrales........................  36  66  34  60 /   0   0   0   0
Los Lunas.......................  27  68  32  61 /   0   0   0   0
Placitas........................  40  62  34  54 /   0   0   0   0
Rio Rancho......................  37  65  34  59 /   0   0   0   0
Socorro.........................  36  70  36  64 /   0   0   0   0
Sandia Park/Cedar Crest.........  39  57  32  50 /   0   0   0   0
Tijeras.........................  38  60  33  53 /   0   0   0   0
Edgewood........................  34  61  31  54 /   0   0   0   0
Moriarty/Estancia...............  26  63  29  55 /   0   0   0   0
Clines Corners..................  32  58  28  51 /   0   0   0   0
Mountainair.....................  35  61  30  54 /   0   0   0   0
Gran Quivira....................  34  61  30  54 /   0   0   0   0
Carrizozo.......................  40  65  34  59 /   0   0   0   0
Ruidoso.........................  37  58  33  54 /   0   0   0   0
Capulin.........................  32  62  28  46 /   0   0   0   0
Raton...........................  29  63  25  51 /   0   0   0   0
Springer........................  25  66  26  54 /   0   0   0   0
Las Vegas.......................  33  61  28  53 /   0   0   0   0
Clayton.........................  41  71  36  54 /   0   0   0   0
Roy.............................  33  66  30  54 /   0   0   0   0
Conchas.........................  34  73  34  60 /   0   0   0   0
Santa Rosa......................  34  71  36  58 /   0   0   0   0
Tucumcari.......................  35  75  35  59 /   0   0   0   0
Clovis..........................  38  75  39  62 /   0   0   0   0
Portales........................  36  77  39  64 /   0   0   0   0
Fort Sumner.....................  35  74  37  62 /   0   0   0   0
Roswell.........................  39  80  41  68 /   0   0   0   0
Picacho.........................  40  71  36  64 /   0   0   0   0
Elk.............................  40  68  34  65 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 7 PM MST Wednesday for NMZ104-106-
123>126.

Wind Advisory from 11 AM to 7 PM MST Wednesday for NMZ226-239-
240.

&&

SHORT TERM...24
LONG TERM....46
AVIATION...11