Gusty winds, hot temperatures and persistent extreme dryness in forest areas set the stage for several small fires, both in Lincoln County, to become large wildfires. Lightning is suspected to have started the Pippin wildfire in the Capitan Mountains about 15 miles northeast of Lincoln which had consumed nearly 48,000 acres by the end of the month and destroyed about 15 historic cabins dating…
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.
Gusty winds, hot temperatures and persistent extreme dryness in forest areas set the stage for several small fires, both in Lincoln County, to become large wildfires. Lightning is suspected to have started the Pippin wildfire in the Capitan Mountains about 15 miles northeast of Lincoln which had consumed nearly 48,000 acres by the end of the month and destroyed about 15 historic cabins dating back to near 1920. The Lookout wildfire flared from an improperly extinguished camp fire in the Gallinas Mountains just west of Corona. This 5500 acre wildfire claimed a ranch headquarters and mountain top communications facilities before it was contained.
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 May 14, 7:40 PM MST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 840 PM MDT FRI MAY 14 2004 .UPDATE...REMOVED THE MENTION OF EVENING WINDS IN THE WRN ZONES. KEPT A 10 TO 20 MPH S OR SE WIND IN ALL NIGHT IN THE ERN ZONES. DECIDED TO JUST GO MOSTLY CLEAR FOR NEARLY ALL OUR ZONES FOR THE OVERNIGHT. HIGH CLOUDS TO THE S AND NW APPEAR TO BE THINNING SOME. EXCEPTION IS IN THE SOUTHEAST WHERE SOME LOW CLOUDS COULD FORM LATE. ALSO ADDED MENTION OF EAST CANYON WIND INTO MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY BASED ON OVER 5 MB PRESSURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HERE AND CLINES CORNERS. 40/CHJ && .DISCUSSION...217 PM MDT FRI MAY 14 2004...ONLY A FEW CUMULUS HAVE FORMED OVER SANGRES THUS FAR THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF WEAK IMPULSE IN WNW FLOW ALOFT. STILL THINK THERE MAY BE A FEW SPRINKLES IN KRTN VCNTY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...BUT WILL EXCLUDE FROM TONIGHT PERIOD. MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW MOISTURE SURGING NWD LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. HAVE EXPANDED POPS INTO METRO AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVEN INTO SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS BY EVENING ALTHOUGH THAT MIGHT BE A STRETCH. RAISED POPS TO CHC CATEGORY OVER THE SC MOUNTAINS WHERE OVERALL MOISTURE/LIFT SHOULD BE GREATEST AND LOWERED TEMPS THERE DUE TO EXPECTED CLOUD COVER. ETA CAPES PROGGED OVER 1000 J/KG INTO LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND ON EAST CENTRAL PLAINS SO COULD BE STRONG STORM OR TWO. ON SUNDAY WE MAY DEVELOP A MORE TYPICAL DRY LINE SCENARIO AS DRIER AIR TRIES TO NUDGE EASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL NM. UPPER HIGH SETTLES OVER SRN NM EARLY NEXT WEEK AS TROUGH SHARPENS OVER NW US. THIS SPELLS WARM WEATHER OVER NM. COULD BE DRY LINE STORMS NEAR TEXAS BORDER EACH AFTERNOON AS LOW LVL MOISTURE SLOSHES BACK AND FORTH. HOWEVER...CHANCES SLIM UNDER UPPER HIGH AND WILL ONLY LEAVE IN FOR MONDAY AFTN RIGHT NOW. AS UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES...WINDS SHOULD INCREASE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK...KD && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON................ 041/083 045/084 047 19000 GALLUP.................... 033/082 039/082 039 19000 GRANTS.................... 035/082 041/083 042 19000 GLENWOOD.................. 047/085 052/089 052 19011 CHAMA..................... 028/073 032/076 035 19000 LOS ALAMOS................ 039/074 044/077 044 19001 RED RIVER................. 026/067 032/071 034 19000 TAOS...................... 033/076 039/078 039 19000 SANTA FE.................. 038/076 045/079 045 19001 SANTA FE AIRPORT.......... 042/079 047/082 046 19001 ESPANOLA.................. 040/080 046/084 047 19001 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS....... 053/083 057/085 057 19011 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY........ 051/085 054/087 052 19011 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS..... 050/080 053/083 054 19012 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA..... 051/084 055/085 055 19011 SOCORRO................... 049/084 054/090 054 19012 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST... 044/076 049/076 051 19012 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA......... 040/078 046/081 045 19012 CARRIZOZO................. 048/081 053/083 053 19013 RUIDOSO................... 044/071 050/073 052 19023 RATON..................... 036/077 044/082 044 19001 LAS VEGAS................. 040/077 047/080 047 19012 ROY....................... 042/077 048/082 049 19011 CLAYTON................... 046/080 051/084 055 19011 SANTA ROSA................ 046/083 053/088 054 19012 TUCUMCARI................. 051/084 058/087 058 19011 FORT SUMNER............... 048/083 054/086 056 19011 CLOVIS.................... 049/081 055/085 057 19011 PORTALES.................. 048/082 055/086 057 19011 ROSWELL................... 052/083 059/088 059 19011 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && 19
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 600 AM MDT FRI MAY 14 2004 NMZ001>021-026-141200- 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- WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- 600 AM MDT FRI MAY 14 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. REMEMBER...WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 41
2 wildfire. 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, May 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: 5391459, 5391460.