New Mexico, 2002

Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, September 12, 2002

September 12, 2002 · NWS ABQ · 5 events in 1 county or zone

A strong thundertorm developed over south central Sandoval County south of Cuba and then moved eastward with a swath of hail and gusty winds. Funnel clouds, hail and gusty winds caused damage at the Ponderosa winery.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
$35,000
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 thundertorm developed over south central Sandoval County south of Cuba and then moved eastward with a swath of hail and gusty winds. Funnel clouds, hail and gusty winds caused damage at the Ponderosa winery. Additional funnel clouds and hail were reported near Bernalillo and over far northern sections of Rio Rancho.

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 Sep 12, 2:15 PM MST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 12, 2:15 PM MST, 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
315 PM MDT THU SEP 12 2002

SFC DEWPTS HAVE DROPPED ACROSS THE NORTHWEST PRECLUDING CONVECTION
THERE. I THINK THE CHANCE OF TSTMS THERE WILL INCREASE THOUGH AS
COLDER AIR ALOFT SPREADS OVER CWA DESTABILIZING THE ATMOSPHERE. WITH
THE UPPER TROF MOVING IN AS WELL AS THE SURFACE FRONT...
THUNDERSTORMS COULD GO ALL NIGHT. RECEIVED A REPORT OF QUARTER SIZE
HAIL FROM MAGDELENA AREA AND THINK WE COULD SEE SOME MORE THESE
REPORTS THE REST OF THE AFTN AND EVENING.

MINUS 10C TO -12C AT H5 TOMMORROW AFTN BASED ON MODEL FCSTS AND THIS
MORNINGS H5 UPPER AIR CHART. DEWPTS STILL IN THE 40S AND 50S ACROSS
UT AND AZ. THUS...EVEN THOUGH IT WILL DRY OUT A LITTLE AT THE
SURFACE...ATMOSPHERE WILL STILL BE QUITE UNSTABLE TOMMORROW.

FOR FRIDAY NIGHT...BACKDOOR WINDSHIFT/FRONT FCST BY ETA. MAKES GOOD
SENSE WITH TROF MOVING SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND
UPPER RIDGE MOVING INTO THE MTNOUS WEST. SFC CHARTS SHOW 40S AND 50S
DEWPTS ALL THE WAY UP INTO SW CANADA THIS AFTN. THINK MNTN OF TSTMS
IN EAST SAT IS GOOD IDEA AND WILL KEEP IT GOING. BY SAT NIGHT...
SUBSIDENCE SPREADS IN FROM THE NW SHUTTING OFF ANY FURTHER SHOT OF
PRECIP. UPPER RIDGE TO DOMINATE SUN...THEN DRY WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT
MON THRU THURS. JWS

ABQ BB 056/076 054/078 055 46332
SAF BB 047/071 045/072 047 46433
TCC BB 057/081 054/076 053 46543

.ABQ...NONE.

The radar

The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:07 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 1 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Sandoval

When
September 12, 3:05 PM MST
Where
Sandoval County, Ponderosa
Measured
1 in hail
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.750, -106.750

Funnel Cloud, Sandoval

When
September 12, 3:05 PM MST
Where
Sandoval County, Ponderosa
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.689, -106.866 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Sandoval

When
September 12, 3:10 PM MST
Where
Sandoval County, Ponderosa
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.750, -106.750

Hail, Sandoval

When
September 12, 5:30 PM MST
Where
Sandoval County, 4 mi SW of Bernalillo
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.267, -106.600

Hail, Sandoval

When
September 12, 5:55 PM MST
Where
Sandoval County, Bernalillo
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.300, -106.550

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
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.

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, September 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: 5320351, 5320352, 5320353, 5320354, 5320350.