A strong upper level storm system moving across the area produced strong gradient winds across southeast New Mexico during the afternoon of April 6. Wind gusts in excess of 70 mph at times resulted in a six vehicle accident on Highway 2 north of the city of Artesia and a four vehicle accident on Highway 285 north of the city of Artesia minutes later.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.
A strong upper level storm system moving across the area produced strong gradient winds across southeast New Mexico during the afternoon of April 6. Wind gusts in excess of 70 mph at times resulted in a six vehicle accident on Highway 2 north of the city of Artesia and a four vehicle accident on Highway 285 north of the city of Artesia minutes later. The wind snapped large tree branches and electric power lines. The wind was also responsible for disrupting cable television transmitters and also for blowing a parking canopy support through the windshield of a pickup truck. In Carlsbad, winds as high as 67 mph blew down a 60 foot Arizona Cypress tree and caused major roof damage to a greenhouse.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 6, 10:07 AM MST, 3 hours 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
1207 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001
UPPER LOW CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA LOOKS TO FINALLY
BE MAKING ITS MOVE EASTWARD. WEAK SURFACE LOW OVER WESTERN CWA HAS
MADE A SLIGHT MOVE WESTWARD...WITH RAPIDLY FALLING PRESSURES NOTED AT
KCNM. BELIEVE MOIST BL WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON CENTRAL
AND EASTERN AREAS...WITH A CONTINUED CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IF
SIGNIFICANT CAPPING INVERSION NOTED ON KMAF 12Z SOUNDING CAN BE
OVERCOME. WIND ADVISORY WILL BE RETAINED IN SPECIFIED ZONES AS WINDS
ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY WEST TO EAST THROUGH LATE
AFTERNOON AS UPPER LOW EJECTS INTO THE NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS.
.MAF...
TX...HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS...DAVIS MOUNTAINS...
AND MARFA PLATEAU
BLOWING DUST ADVISORY VAN HORN AREA...UPPER TRANS PECOS
WIND ADVISORY...VAN HORN AREA...UPPER TRANS PECOS...AND
PE<RMIAN BASIN
NM...HIGH WIND WARNING GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS
WIND AND BLOWING DUST ADVISORY LEA AND EDDY COUNTY PLAINS
JBMNMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-062100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 1245 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST TOWARD THE OUTLOOK AREA. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS PLENTIFUL AS SURFACE WINDS CONTINUE THE TRANSPORT OF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. THE POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN. .THREATS... THUNDERSTORMS... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY OVER THE EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN...MAINLY EAST OF A BIG LAKE...TO ANDREWS...TO SEMINOLE LINE. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA...ALONG AND EAST OF THE DRYLINE. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP IS LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD MONITOR THIS SITUATION AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN YOUR AREA. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THROUGH EARLY EVENING. WINDS... A HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY AND CULBERSON COUNTIES...FOR THE DAVIS AND APACHE MOUNTAINS... AND THE MARFA PLATEAU. WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTHWEST TO WEST... INCREASING TO 35 TO 45 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WINDS THROUGH THE GUADALUPE PASS WILL INCREASE TO 40 TO 50 MPH...WITH GUSTS OVER 75 MPH POSSIBLE. TRAVEL IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL LIKELY BECOME DANGEROUS DUE TO HIGH WINDS THIS AFTERNOON. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WEST TEXAS PERMIAN BASIN...SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS...AND CULBERSON COUNTY. WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTHWEST TO WEST 25 TO 35 MPH...WITH STRONGER GUSTS. A BLOWING DUST ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO PLAINS...UPPER TRANS PECOS...NORTHWESTERN PERMIAN BASIN...AND THE CULBERSON COUNTY SALT FLATS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO BELOW 3 MILES...ESPECIALLY DOWNWIND OF PLOWED FIELDS AND CONSTRUCTION SITES. FIRE DANGER... RED FLAG FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS...THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS....DAVIS MOUNTAINS...AND THE BIG BEND. STRONG WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES... ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNObON WILL FAVOR RAPID FIRE GROWTH. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST FIRE WEATHER FORECAST ISSUED BY THE MIDLAND/ODESSA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. JBM
NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-062100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED RED FLAG WARNING AREA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 1251 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST TOWARD THE OUTLOOK AREA. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS PLENTIFUL AS SURFACE WINDS CONTINUE THE TRANSPORT OF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. THE POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN. .THREATS... THUNDERSTORMS... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY OVER THE EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN...MAINLY EAST OF A BIG LAKE...TO ANDREWS...TO SEMINOLE LINE. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA...ALONG AND EAST OF THE DRYLINE. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP IS LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD MONITOR THIS SITUATION AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN YOUR AREA. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THROUGH EARLY EVENING. WINDS... A HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY AND CULBERSON COUNTIES...FOR THE DAVIS AND APACHE MOUNTAINS... AND THE MARFA PLATEAU. WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTHWEST TO WEST... INCREASING TO 35 TO 45 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WINDS THROUGH THE GUADALUPE PASS WILL INCREASE TO 40 TO 50 MPH...WITH GUSTS OVER 75 MPH POSSIBLE. TRAVEL IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL LIKELY BECOME DANGEROUS DUE TO HIGH WINDS THIS AFTERNOON. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WEST TEXAS PERMIAN BASIN...SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS...AND CULBERSON COUNTY. WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTHWEST TO WEST 25 TO 35 MPH...WITH STRONGER GUSTS. A BLOWING DUST ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO PLAINS...UPPER TRANS PECOS...NORTHWESTERN PERMIAN BASIN...AND THE CULBERSON COUNTY SALT FLATS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO BELOW 3 MILES...ESPECIALLY DOWNWIND OF PLOWED FIELDS AND CONSTRUCTION SITES. FIRE DANGER... RED FLAG FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS...THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS....AND THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS. STRONG WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON WILL FAVOR RAPID FIRE GROWTH. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST FIRE WEATHER FORECAST ISSUED BY THE MIDLAND/ODESSA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. JBM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High wind resulted in a semi-truck being blown off the road 5 miles south of Tatum on State Road 206. Other reports included a tree being uprooted and blow onto the roof of a house located on the north side of Tatum and a roof being blown off a house 12 miles south of Tatum. There were also several reports of minor damage to fences, antennas, and phone and power lines.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2001
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: 5242344, 5242438.