Heavy Snow and Heavy Rain in New Mexico, April 3 to 4, 2004

Name: Heavy Snow and Heavy Rain in New Mexico, April 3 to 4, 2004
Start: 2004-04-03T12:00
End: 2004-04-04T12:00
Location: New Mexico

April 3 to 4, 2004 · NWS ABQ · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 mix of wet snow and locally heavy rain was recorded across north and central New Mexico during the first 4 days of April. The welcome precipitation in the parch dry state began on the 2nd and then increased throughout the day on the 3rd. Through the evening of the 3rd and early morning of the 4th, heavy wet snows of 12 to 20 inches accumulated in western Mora County which closed roads and brought down power lines servicing 1000 homes. The rain proved too much of good thing in Albuquerque which suffered sinkholes and collapse of several storm drains. The city set a new 24 hour precipitation total of 2.29 inches breaking a previous record of 2.26 inches for a 24 hour period in 1893. Heavy rain was also reported across east central New Mexico but these areas escaped the heavy flooding that occurred in the far southeast sections of the state at Carlsbad.

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 3, 10:34 AM MST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 10:34 AM MST, 1 hour 26 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
1034 AM MST SAT APR 3 2004

.UPDATE...SLIGHT CHANGES TO THE MAX TEMPS. REFRESH POP WORDING FOR
RIO GRANDE VALLEY AS SW/TS CONTINUE TO FORM ALONG A CONVERGENCE AREA
ALONG THE RIVER. THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS WILL BE SOGGY.

.PREV DISCUSSION...300 AM MST SAT APR 3 2004. DEEP MOIST S TO SE FLOW
TO CONTINUE THROUGH SUN NIGHT AS UPPER LOW WOBBLES OVER AZ AND KEEPS
STRONG DYNAMIC FORCING FOR VERTICAL MOTION OVER NM. ISOLATED TO
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH SNOW ABOVE 7500 FEET...
WILL CONTINUE AREA WIDE. MOST OF THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL SWEEP
ACROSS THE AREA IN WAVES. THE FIRST WAVE IS ALREADY IMPACTING THE
NORTH AND EAST AND WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH TOWARD THE NORTH TODAY. THE
NEXT WAVE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE S TIER OF ZONES LATE THIS AFTN OR
EARLY THIS EVE THEN SWEEP NWD TONIGHT. SUN...THE BULK OF THE ACTIVITY
WILL FOCUS ON THE EASTERN HALF. LATEST PROGS SLOW THE UPPER LOW/S
PROGRESSION...FINALLY DRAGGING IT ACROSS THE STATE LATE MONDAY
THROUGH TUESDAY. ATTM...LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THE DEEP MOISTURE AND
HEAVY PRECIP W/ THIS SYSTEM WILL ADVECT TO THE EAST OF THE AREA BY
SUN NIGHT...W/ SCT TO ISOLD ACTIVITY LINGERING IN NM THROUGH TUE.

WILL CONTINUE W/ SNOW ADVISORY N MTNS ABOVE 7500 FEET THROUGH
TODAY...W/ E AND SE SLOPES OF SANGRES FAVORED. PERIODS OF SNOW WILL
CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE HIGH COUNTRY ABOVE 7500 FEET
THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND...WITH 2 OR FEWER INCHES OF ACCUMULATION
EXPECTED PER 12 HOUR PERIOD.

EAST WINDS STILL LIKELY SAT NIGHT IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...30-40
MPH W/ GUSTS AROUND 50 OR 55 MPH

BREAK IN THE WX STILL LIKELY WED...BUT ANOTHER BACK DOOR COLD FRONT
WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA WED NIGHT AND MAY REACH THE SW BORDER BY THU
NIGHT. A TROUGH ALOFT WILL ALSO SWEEP ACROSS THE STATE FROM THE NW
DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE UPCOMING WEEK...SO LOOK FOR MORE
UNSETTLED WX THEN. DLC

&&

.ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SNOW ADVISORY ABOVE 7500 FEET TODAY NMZ002-004-005.

&&

23

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 3, 11:10 AM MST, 50 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
1110 AM MST SAT APR 3 2004

NMZ001>021-026-041300-
CAPITAN/NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-
CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS/ESTANCIA VALLEY-CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS-
CONCHAS LAKE/GUADALUPE COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY-DE BACA COUNTY-
FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF CHAVES COUNTY-
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-
1110 AM MST SAT APR 3 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD PRODUCE
LARGE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS...ACROSS CHAVES AND LINCOLN COUNTIES
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS RAIN
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN...WILL CONTINUE
...AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED ABOVE 7500 FEET IN THE NORTHERN
MOUNTAINS.

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT MAY RESULT IN MINOR
FLOODING OR PONDING OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS AND IN HIGHWAY
INTERSECTIONS ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO.

A SNOW ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS THIS
AFTERNOON WHERE AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW COULD
ACCUMULATE. SEE THE LATEST SNOW ADVISORY TO BE ISSUED LATE THIS
MORNING FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY LATER
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. EAST WINDS IN THE VICINITY OF CANYONS
MAY BLOW FROM 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 50 OR 55 MPH POSSIBLE
AFTER DARK.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS RAIN SHOWERS...THUNDERSTORMS AND HIGH TERRAIN
SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY. THE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM
TRIGGERING THE WET WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TO BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS...THUNDERSTORMS AND HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS MONDAY AND
TUESDAY...BUT THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WILL MOVE EAST OF THE AREA BY
MONDAY.

REMEMBER...WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST
FORECASTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN
CHAVES AND LINCOLN COUNTIES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy rain, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Bernalillo

When: April 3, 12:00 PM MST to April 4, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Bernalillo County, Albuquerque
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 35.051, -106.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northeast Highlands

When: April 3, 6:00 PM MST to April 4, 4:00 AM MST
Where: Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, April 2004

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: 5387267, 5387266.