Strong winds whipped the mountain tops and adjacent eastern slopes of the northeast, central and south central mountains.
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.
Strong winds whipped the mountain tops and adjacent eastern slopes of the northeast, central and south central mountains.
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 Feb 16, 3:00 AM MST, 8 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 300 AM MST THU FEB 16 2006 .DISCUSSION...BAND OF SNOW SHOWERS MOVING INTO NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO ATTM. WILL EXPAND POPS A BIT OVER NORTHWEST AND NORTHCENTRAL THIS MORNING TO MEET CURRENT TRENDS AS WELL AS MAKE FOR A CLOSE MATCH WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES GRID WISE. COULD BE AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW NEAR THE COLORADO BORDER AND WEST SLOPES BY MIDDAY. ALSO ADDED SMALL POPS TO NORTHEAST TODAY AS SURFACE BOUNDARY READY TO BACK INTO FAR NORTHEAST CORNER...AND SHORT WAVE RIDES OVER TOP OF THE COLD AIR. SUSPECT THE BOUNDARY MAY RETREAT A BIT AGAIN TODAY...BUT MAY KILL THE POTENTIAL FOR MEETING WIND ADVY CRITERIA FOR FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS. THE KLVS 2 AM OB CLOCKED A WIND GUST TO 60 MPH...WHICH MEETS THE HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA. TCC PROFILER SHOWING 50KT JUST OFF THE DECK AS WELL. THEREFORE WILL KEEP THE CURRENT WIND HIGHLIGHTS GOING PRETTY MUCH AS IS. MAIN PUSH OF THE SURFACE BOUNDARY COMES TONIGHT. ADDED THE EAST CANYON WINDS BACK INTO THE GRIDS FOR RIO GRANDE VALLEY...AS WELL AS SPREAD THE SMALL CHANCES FOR A WINTRY MIX OF PCPN OVER MUCH OF THE PLAINS TONIGHT. ANOTHER WESTERLY 50KT WIND MAX INDICATED AT H7 FRIDAY OVER THE EAST...BUT WITH THE COLD AIR SETTLING IN...MAY NOT HAVE MUCH IMPACT EXPECT OVER RIDGETOPS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. MAD SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO POPS ON FRIDAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND BASED ON HIGHER GUIDANCE VALUES...AND THE LARGE AREA OF SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE WHICH THE GFS CONTINUES TO INSIST COULD BE TAPPED BY SOUTHWEST TO WESTERLY WINDS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 47 20 53 24 / 20 0 5 5 GALLUP.......................... 46 11 53 19 / 5 0 5 0 GRANTS.......................... 49 13 54 22 / 0 0 0 5 GLENWOOD........................ 60 25 61 30 / 0 0 0 10 CHAMA........................... 32 6 35 11 / 40 0 20 10 LOS ALAMOS...................... 46 17 47 20 / 10 0 5 10 RED RIVER....................... 35 7 34 7 / 10 5 10 10 TAOS............................ 42 8 42 15 / 20 0 5 5 SANTA FE........................ 48 18 46 22 / 0 0 5 5 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 52 21 49 26 / 0 0 5 5 ESPANOLA........................ 54 17 51 22 / 10 0 5 5 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 57 29 52 32 / 0 0 0 5 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 58 23 54 28 / 0 0 0 5 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 53 25 49 30 / 0 0 0 5 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 57 26 54 32 / 0 0 0 5 SOCORRO......................... 62 29 62 35 / 0 0 0 10 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 49 22 47 25 / 0 0 0 5 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 51 16 44 20 / 0 0 0 10 CARRIZOZO....................... 61 25 51 30 / 0 0 0 10 RUIDOSO......................... 58 25 48 28 / 0 0 0 10 RATON........................... 46 9 42 13 / 10 10 0 10 LAS VEGAS....................... 50 18 40 20 / 0 10 0 10 ROY............................. 48 12 39 18 / 0 10 0 5 CLAYTON......................... 46 8 35 14 / 10 10 0 5 SANTA ROSA...................... 56 17 43 24 / 0 5 0 10 TUCUMCARI....................... 60 15 43 24 / 0 10 0 10 FORT SUMNER..................... 63 19 43 25 / 0 5 0 10 CLOVIS.......................... 65 20 42 22 / 0 10 0 10 PORTALES........................ 68 22 43 22 / 0 10 0 10 ROSWELL......................... 74 27 46 27 / 0 5 0 10 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR NMZ005-NMZ010- NMZ011-NMZ012-NMZ016-NMZ017-NMZ026. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR NMZ006-NMZ007- NMZ013-NMZ018-NMZ019-NMZ020-NMZ021. RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 4 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR NMZ103-NMZ107- NMZ108. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 600 AM MST THU FEB 16 2006 NMZ001>021-026-171300- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS INCLUDING JEMEZ- UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY-SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS- NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-HARDING COUNTY-FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS- WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY/ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA- SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS-CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS/ESTANCIA VALLEY- CONCHAS LAKE/GUADALUPE COUNTY-QUAY COUNTY- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/UPPER GILA REGION-LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- LINCOLN COUNTY HIGH PLAINS/HONDO VALLEY- CAPITAN/NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-DE BACA COUNTY- CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS-ROOSEVELT COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF CHAVES COUNTY- 600 AM MST THU FEB 16 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM FOR MUCH OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND ADJACENT HIGHLANDS AND PLAINS. A WIND ADVISORY ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM FOR MUCH OF THE EASTERN PLAINS. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. STRONG WINDS MAY CREATE AREAS OF REDUCED VISIBILITY IN BLOWING DUST. IN ADDITION...A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS EASTWARD TO THE TEXAS STATE LINE NOT INCLUDING THE FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS. A COLD FRONT WILL PLUNGE DOWN THE EASTERN PLAINS TONIGHT. PATCHY FOG ...LIGHT SNOW OR LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE COULD RESULT IN SLICK SPOTS ON AREA BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. .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. 99
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, February 2006
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: 5491559, 5491560, 5491561, 5491562, 5491640.