Two people died (indirect, female 70 and male 73) and 13 others were injured (indirect) in a chain-reaction of traffic accidents involving a total of 18 vehicles on Interstate 40 near Milan. Zero visibility was reported along a short section of Interstate as winds of 25-30 mph carried dust across the roadway from an adjacent plot of barren or plowed ground.
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 ABQ wrote it up.
Two people died (indirect, female 70 and male 73) and 13 others were injured (indirect) in a chain-reaction of traffic accidents involving a total of 18 vehicles on Interstate 40 near Milan. Zero visibility was reported along a short section of Interstate as winds of 25-30 mph carried dust across the roadway from an adjacent plot of barren or plowed ground. The driver of a small car and a passenger were killed after slowing and then struck from behind by a semi-truck.
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 22, 1:18 PM MST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 218 PM MDT THU APR 22 2004 .DISCUSSION...COLD FRONT REMAINS ACROSS THE EAST KEEPING WINDS AND WEATHER COOL AND TRANQUIL. UPPER AND SURFACE LOW ROTATING JUST NORTHWEST OF FOUR CORNERS WILL MOVE ALONG AND JUST SOUTH OF THE NORTHERN STATE BORDER TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. THE UNSETTLED AND MUCH COOLER WEATHER THAT HAS BEEN ADVERTISED THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS WILL COMMENCE THIS EVENING INTENSIFYING AFTER MIDNIGHT ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NORTHEAST AS UPSLOPE FLOW DEEPENS. CURRENTLY... COLD POOL BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHWEST WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TO BREAKOUT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING TO GET THINGS GOING. WIND ADVISORY WILL BE ADJUSTED TO DROP SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL ZONES...BUT KEEP WEST CENTRAL AND RIO GRANDE VALLEY WINDY THROUGH AT LEAST 800 PM. MODELS NOT TO FAR OFF TRACK ON THE INTENSITY AND MOVEMENT OF THIS SYSTEM WITH THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IN THE QPF/SNOW OUTPUT. ETA REMAINS AND LOOKS OVER DONE WITH WELL OVER A FOOT OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ALONG THE COLORADO BORDER FOR AN 18 HOUR PERIOD. EARLIER SNOW ADVISORY NUMBERS STILL LOOK IN THE BALLPARK AND WILL MAINTAIN STATUS QUO FOR NOW. A FEW LOCALS ACROSS THE EASTERN SLOPE OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS AND ALONG THE RATON PASS VICINITY COULD SEE UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW WHILE THE MAJORITY OF OTHER AREAS WILL SEE AROUND 6 INCHES THUS THE REASONING TO KEEP AN ADVISORY AND NOT UPGRADE TO A WARNING. WINTER LIKE TEMPS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST TOMORROW WITH MUCH COOLER TEMPS FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST. MAINTAINED HIGH POPS NORTHEAST ON FRIDAY AS UPSLOPE CONTINUES AND THEN SLOWLY TREND DOWNWARD FRIDAY NIGHT AS SYSTEM BEGINS TO LIFT NORTHEAST.SURFACE RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE EAST FRIDAY WITH EAST WINDS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND STRENGTHENING FRIDAY NIGHT...A LOCAL WIND ADVISORY MIGHT BE NEEDED AT THAT TIME. KEPT SUN AND MONDAY DRY AND THEN BEGAN TO INCREASE POPS ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND WESTERN AREAS TUESDAY SPREADING FARTHER NORTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. GFS CONTINUING TO INDICATE MOISTURE TO MOVE INTO THE REGION ON BACK SIDE OF SURFACE RIDGE WITH A GENERAL CYCLONIC FLOW TO PERSIST OVER THE MUCH OF THE WEST. EUROPEAN SIMILAR ON THIS PATTERN. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON................ 033/054 033/066 035 49331 GALLUP.................... 025/057 024/066 028 49221 GRANTS.................... 028/056 026/063 030 49120 GLENWOOD.................. 041/071 042/075 040 49000 CHAMA..................... 024/042 021/053 025 49642 LOS ALAMOS................ 032/047 028/058 033 49331 RED RIVER................. 019/033 018/045 022 49873 TAOS...................... 029/044 022/057 027 49652 SANTA FE.................. 032/049 029/057 034 49331 SANTA FE AIRPORT.......... 035/053 030/060 035 49331 ESPANOLA.................. 036/054 029/064 036 49241 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS....... 044/060 039/067 045 49111 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY........ 043/061 039/068 044 49111 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS..... 040/057 037/065 042 49111 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA..... 040/059 038/067 043 49111 SOCORRO................... 042/066 037/072 042 49000 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST... 032/051 031/060 036 49121 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA......... 036/054 031/064 038 49121 CARRIZOZO................. 045/063 036/067 042 49000 RUIDOSO................... 044/057 036/058 040 49000 RATON..................... 033/037 026/059 031 49873 LAS VEGAS................. 033/045 027/059 032 49221 ROY....................... 033/041 029/059 033 49643 CLAYTON................... 034/037 031/057 038 49863 SANTA ROSA................ 040/055 032/069 039 49122 TUCUMCARI................. 038/054 033/063 041 49332 FORT SUMNER............... 043/060 035/067 041 49022 CLOVIS.................... 044/059 038/064 043 49022 PORTALES.................. 046/061 038/065 044 49022 ROSWELL................... 049/072 043/069 045 49000 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WND ADVY 4PM-8PM TODAY/EVENING NMZ008-009-014-015. SN ADVY 6PM THU-6PM FRI NMZ004-005. SN ADVY 12AM-6PM FRI NMZ006-007. RED FLAG WARNING FOR NMZ106-107. && 49
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 600 AM MDT THU APR 22 2004 NMZ001>021-231200- CAPITAN/NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS- CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS/ESTANCIA VALLEY-CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS- CONCHAS LAKE/GUADALUPE COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY-DE BACA COUNTY- FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS-HARDING COUNTY- LINCOLN COUNTY HIGH PLAINS/HONDO VALLEY-LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY/ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA-NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS- NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS INCLUDING JEMEZ-NORTHWEST PLATEAU-QUAY COUNTY- ROOSEVELT COUNTY-SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS-SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/UPPER GILA REGION-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- WESTCENTRAL MOUNTAINS- 600 AM MDT THU APR 22 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY VERY STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS...THE MIDDLE AND LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY...THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND ADJACENT EASTERN SLOPES...AND THE HIGHLANDS FROM WAGON MOUND SOUTH. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED. ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS ALSO LIKELY FOR THE NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT EASTERN HIGHLANDS FROM WAGON MOUND NORTH TO THE COLORADO BORDER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FOR FRIDAY SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT EASTERN HIGHLANDS FROM WAGON MOUND NORTH TO THE COLORADO BORDER. EXPECT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES BELOW 7500 FEET AND 6 TO 8 INCHES ABOVE 7500 FEET DURING A 24 HOUR PERIOD. A FEW LOCAL AREAS MAY SEE UP TO 12 INCHES OF SNOWFALL ESPECIALLY EAST FACING SLOPES ALONG THE COLORADO BORDER. AS THIS SNOW EVENT EVOLVES ACCUMULATING SNOWS WILL SPREAD INTO UNION AND NORTHERN HARDING COUNTIES. EXPECT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES WITH LOCAL 6 INCH ABOVE 6000 FEET FOR THESE AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 16
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 306 PM MDT THU APR 22 2004 NMZ001-003-009-012-013-231100- CONCHAS LAKE/GUADALUPE COUNTY- MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY/ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA-NORTHWEST PLATEAU- QUAY COUNTY-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- 306 PM MDT THU APR 22 2004 ...NEAR FREEZING LOW TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT... AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM...IN COMBINATION WITH A STRONG COLD FRONT...WILL BRING ACCUMULATING SNOWS TO THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO AS WELL AS THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE...LATER TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. AS THE STORM SYSTEM LIFTS AWAY FROM NEW MEXICO FRIDAY NIGHT...IT WILL LEAVE MUCH COLDER AIR IN ITS WAKE. LOW TEMPERATURES FRIDAY NIGHT MAY DROP TO NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST PLATEAU...UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY...QUAY COUNTY...CONCHAS LAKE AND GUADALUPE COUNTY AND POSSIBLY THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR TENDER GARDEN PLANTS AND MOVE SENSITIVE ORNAMENTAL POTTED PLANTS INDOORS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA PROVIDER FOR UPDATED FORECASTS AND WEATHER INFORMATION.
1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2004
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: 5387265.