New Mexico, 2002

Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, June 14, 2002

June 14, 2002 · NWS ABQ · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong thundertorm with gusty winds that downed several utility poles in southern Sandoval County moved south into downtown Albuquerque where it produced a brief burst of large hail. The storm then turned or developed eastward with smaller hail and heavy rain that move east along the old Route 66 or Central Avenue section of the city.

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
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 thundertorm with gusty winds that downed several utility poles in southern Sandoval County moved south into downtown Albuquerque where it produced a brief burst of large hail. The storm then turned or developed eastward with smaller hail and heavy rain that move east along the old Route 66 or Central Avenue section of the city.

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 Jun 14, 2:50 PM MST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 14, 2:50 PM MST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
350 PM MDT FRI JUN 14 2002

BIG STORY THE REST OF THIS EVENING WILL BE THE STRONG STORMS AND
SEVERE WEATHER. STORMS SLOWLY DRIFTING OUT IN THE PLAINS WHICH MAKES
THEM ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. EXPECT THEM TO SLOWLY DRIFT TO THE
EAST...SOUTHEAST WITH DIMINISHING ACTIVITY BY LATE EVENING. SAME
THINGS ACROSS THE WEST AND HAVE HAD REPORTS OF HAIL THERE AS WELL.
DEWPOINTS START TO GO DOWN ACROSS THE AREA ON SATURDAY WITH THE WEST
REALLY DRYING OUT. NEAR BREEZY WINDS WILL BE SEEN ACROSS CWFA
ESPECIALLY FAVORING THE WEST ON SATURDAY. EVEN WITH THE LOWERING
DEWPOINTS ACROSS THE EAST...STILL CANT RULE OUT SHOWERS OR
THUNDERSTORMS
ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHEAST BUT ALSO INCLUDING THE EAST SLOPES
OF THE SANGRES. BACKDOOR COLD FRONT ALTHOUGH NOT AS STRONG AS THE
PAST COUPLE OF DAYS EXPECTED TO SWING DOWN SATURDAY NIGHT AND
PROVIDE HIGHER DEWPOINTS AGAIN. THUS ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. THE COLD
FRONT WONT BE NEARLY AS STRONG AND IS NOT EXPECTED TO PUSH THROUGH
THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. DRYING AND WARMING THROUGH THE REST OF THE
FORECAST. WACHTER

.ABQ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THROUGH 8 PM FOR NORTHEAST..EAST
CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF NEW MEXICO...

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 14, 2:18 PM MST, 1 hour 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE, NM
318 PM MDT FRI JUN 14 2002

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0310 PM    12 N CIMARRON             NM   1.25 INCH HAIL
06/14/02   COLFAX                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC
Local storm report, Jun 14, 2:49 PM MST, 1 hour 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE, NM
349 PM MDT FRI JUN 14 2002

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0347 PM    5 N SPRINGER              NM   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/14/02   COLFAX                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC
Local storm report, Jun 14, 3:20 PM MST, 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE, NM
420 PM MDT FRI JUN 14 2002

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0355 PM    1 N SPRINGER              NM   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/14/02   COLFAX                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC

JLP

The radar

The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 18 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:03 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sandoval

When
June 14, 4:05 PM MST to 4:10 PM MST
Where
Sandoval County, Rio Rancho
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.250, -106.667

Hail, Bernalillo

When
June 14, 4:19 PM MST
Where
Bernalillo County, Albuquerque
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
35.083, -106.567

Hail, Bernalillo

When
June 14, 4:35 PM MST
Where
Bernalillo County, Albuquerque
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.083, -106.567

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, June 2002

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: 5306584, 5307799, 5306583.