New Mexico, 2001

Damaging Winds and High Wind in New Mexico, April 6, 2001

April 6, 2001 · NWS ABQ · 12 events in 10 counties and zones

A strong upper level low swept across New Mexico bringing high winds to most southern, central and eastern counties. Damage reports consisted mainly of downed tree limbs and a few power poles, overturned yard sheds, plus a number of porch roofs ripped away as winds reached sustained speeds of 40-45 mph with gusts 50-60 mph during a 4 to 6 hour period from mid afternoon to early evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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 swept across New Mexico bringing high winds to most southern, central and eastern counties. Damage reports consisted mainly of downed tree limbs and a few power poles, overturned yard sheds, plus a number of porch roofs ripped away as winds reached sustained speeds of 40-45 mph with gusts 50-60 mph during a 4 to 6 hour period from mid afternoon to early evening. A few semi-trailer trucks were overturned by the gusts near Tucumcari and Clovis with one injury reported. Several schools districts closed early for the first time due to winds because of the concern for bus safety in the high winds. A small cluster of high based thunderstorms developed near Clovis-Portales and combined with the high winds to produce brief gusts near 70 mph. The storm generated gusty winds of 25-35 mph across western and north central New Mexico, plus a late snow of 2 to 6 inches over middle and higher terrain.

What forecasters said that day

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 Albuquerque, NM wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 6, 2:30 PM MST, 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 6, 2:30 PM MST, 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
330 PM MDT FRI APR 6 2001

ONLY HIGHLIGHTS TO CONTINUE UNTIL MIDNIGHT WILL BE HIGH WIND
WARNING...NO CHANGE TO AREAS PREVIOUSLY COVERED.  ISOLATED
CONVECTION CENTRAL AND WEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD DIE BY EARLY
EVENING. IN THE EAST EXPECT SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO
CONTINUE A BIT LONGER. STRONGER WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH OVER THE
SOUTHERN PORTION OF WARNING AREA EARLIER AS STRONG DOWNWARD MOTIONS
MODELED TO DIMINISH SOONER THAN OVER NORTHEAST AS SURFACE LOW
CONTINUES TO INTENSIFY. SATURDAY...LOOKS BREEZY MOST AREAS AND WILL
HANG ONTO FEW SHOWERS NC AND NW WITH RESIDUAL MOISTURE. SUNDAY AND
BEYOND...AFTERNOONS LOOK BREEZY TO WINDY WITH UPPER TROUGH SAGGING
SLOWLY SOUTHWARD INTO NORTHERN AZ/NW NM...AND HANGS AROUND THROUGH
MIDWEEK. MAY BE A FEW SHOWERS NORTH AND WEST BUT WIND LIKELY MORE
SIGNIFICANT.

ABQ BB 035/067 039/068 041 48100
SAF BB 030/061 034/062 034 481--
TCC BB 044/074 045/075 040 48100

.ABQ...HIGH WIND WARNING TIL MIDNIGHT
       NMZ005>007-010>013-016>021-026

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 high wind, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Curry

When
April 6, 2:40 PM MST
Where
Curry County, Cannon Afb
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
34.383, -103.317

Thunderstorm Wind, Roosevelt

When
April 6, 2:55 PM MST
Where
Roosevelt County, Portales
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
34.183, -103.333

High Wind, Far Northeast Plains

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Far Northeast Plains forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Central High Plains/Estancia Valley County forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Chaves County Plains

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Chaves County Plains forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Conchas Lake/Guadalupe

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Conchas Lake/Guadalupe forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Curry

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Curry forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, De Baca

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
De Baca forecast zone
Measured
44 kt (51 mph)
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Harding

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Harding forecast zone
Measured
44 kt (51 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Northeast Highlands

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Quay

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Quay forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Roosevelt

When
April 6, 3:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Roosevelt forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2001

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: 5240819, 5240820, 5240821, 5240822, 5240823, 5240824, 5240825, 5240826, 5240827, 5240828, 5240829, 5240830.