New Mexico, 1998

High Wind in New Mexico, March 26, 1998

March 26, 1998 · NWS ABQ · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong upper level low pressure center produced gusty winds across much of New Mexico with gusts above 50 mph in the northeast along the Sangre de Cristo foothills from near Las Vegas north to Raton, and over the mountain ridges near Albuquerque and Ruidoso. An elderly woman in Albuquerque suffered minor injuries when struck by a falling tree.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ABQ wrote it up.

A strong upper level low pressure center produced gusty winds across much of New Mexico with gusts above 50 mph in the northeast along the Sangre de Cristo foothills from near Las Vegas north to Raton, and over the mountain ridges near Albuquerque and Ruidoso. An elderly woman in Albuquerque suffered minor injuries when struck by a falling tree.

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northeast Highlands / All But X W and X Se Colfax / All But X W Mora / C San Miguel / X Nw Union

When
March 26, 11:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Northeast Highlands / All But X W and X Se Colfax / All But X W Mora / C San Miguel / X Nw Union forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)

High Wind, Capitan/Northern Sacramento Mountains / Sc Lincoln

When
March 26, 11:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Capitan/Northern Sacramento Mountains / Sc Lincoln forecast zone
Measured
44 kt (51 mph)

High Wind, Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County / Se Santa Fe / W San Miguel / Torrance Except X W / E Socorro

When
March 26, 11:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County / Se Santa Fe / W San Miguel / Torrance Except X W / E Socorro forecast zone
Measured
49 kt (56 mph)

High Wind, Middle Rio Grande Valley / X Sc Sanduval / Valencia Except X E / X E Cibola / Bernalillo Except E and X Nw

When
March 26, 11:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Middle Rio Grande Valley / X Sc Sanduval / Valencia Except X E / X E Cibola / Bernalillo Except E and X Nw forecast zone
Measured
46 kt (53 mph)
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect

High Wind, Sandia/Manzano Mountains / Most of W Santa Fe / E Bernalillo / X Se Sanduval / X W Torrance / E Valencia / Part of E Socorro

When
March 26, 11:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Sandia/Manzano Mountains / Most of W Santa Fe / E Bernalillo / X Se Sanduval / X W Torrance / E Valencia / Part of E Socorro forecast zone
Measured
49 kt (56 mph)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, March 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5638464, 5638465, 5638466, 5638588, 5638589.