Wildfire in New Mexico, April 15 to 30, 2008

Name: Wildfire in New Mexico, April 15 to 30, 2008
Start: 2008-04-15T14:55
End: 2008-04-30T23:59
Location: New Mexico

April 15 to 30, 2008 · NWS ABQ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A human caused fire turned into a large wildfire during several days of strong winds. Very dry conditions were present prior to the wildfire due to a lack of precipitation in the preceding weeks.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $8.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 human caused fire turned into a large wildfire during several days of strong winds. Very dry conditions were present prior to the wildfire due to a lack of precipitation in the preceding weeks.

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 15, 1:34 PM MST, 1 hour 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 1:34 PM MST, 1 hour 21 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
234 PM MDT TUE APR 15 2008

.DISCUSSION...
MAIN EMPHASIS THIS FORECAST PACKAGE WILL BE ON THE APPROACHING
STORM AND ITS IMPACT ON NM.

WINDS ARE CRANKING UP AS ADVERTISED THIS PM OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN
AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. LOW RH VALUES...LIKE 3 PERCENT RIGHT NOW
IN ALBUQUERQUE...ARE PRODUCING CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
MEANWHILE SUNSHINE IS BOOSTING TEMPS ABOVE NORMAL.

WINDS WILL SUBSIDE SOME TONIGHT...BUT REMAIN BREEZY TO WINDY ALONG
THE E SIDE OF THE CNTRL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. THEY WILL PICK BACK UP
AGAIN WED OVER OUR S AND E ZONES WITH ANOTHER WIND ADVISORY AND
RED FLAG WARNING LIKELY TO BE ISSUED BY EARLY WED MORNING. THE
STORM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WINDS IS OVER NV NOW AND WILL CONTINUE
TO MOVE SE...REACHING NM WED NIGHT AND THU. AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR
THUNDERSTORM MAY DEVELOP WED PM NEAR THE CO BORDER. BUT LITTLE OR
NO RAIN IS EXPECTED WITH ANY CONVECTION. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE
FROM W TO E ACROSS NM WED BRINGING SOME COOLING TO THE W AND N.
ANOTHER SECONDARY COLD FRONT WILL BARREL FROM N TO S ACROSS THE
STATE WED NIGHT WITH CHILLY AIR BEHIND IT. AN INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE WILL ALSO BRING SOME RAIN AND SNOW ACROSS THE N AND E
WED NIGHT THROUGH THU. BEST CHANCES FOR SOME ACCUMULATION SNOW WILL
BE FROM THE E SLOPES OF THE SANGRES E ACROSS COLFAX AND NORTHERN
UNION COUNTY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED FOR THESE
AREAS...AS THE SNOW WILL BE COMBINED WITH STRONG N WINDS.

WE WILL GET A BREAK FROM THE WIND ON FRI AS WEAK RIDGING TAKES
PLACE. BUT THE LULL WILL BE SHORT AS WINDS WILL INCREASE AGAIN
SAT AND WILL LIKELY BE STRONG FROM SUN THROUGH AT LEAST TUE. IN
FACT...A SIGNIFICANT HIGH WIND EVENT IS POSSIBLE DURING THIS TIME.
CHJ

&&

.AVIATION...
STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH APPROX 02Z
THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...OCCASIONAL GUSTY WINDS WILL PERSIST
THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ESPECIALLY ALONG AND JUST EAST OF
THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. WINDS WILL INCREASE IN SPEED AGAIN
TOMORROW AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTS UP TO 40KT POSSIBLE FOR ALL TAF
SITES EXCEPT KFMN. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ALL
AIRPORTS.

NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 09Z. 34

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
FARMINGTON......................  40  60  30  58 /   0  10   5   0
GALLUP..........................  33  62  22  57 /   0   5   0   0
GRANTS..........................  33  66  25  57 /   0   5   0   0
GLENWOOD........................  40  73  34  70 /   0   0   0   0
CHAMA...........................  29  55  21  48 /   0  20  30  20
LOS ALAMOS......................  41  63  29  50 /   0   5  20  30
RED RIVER.......................  28  56  17  39 /   0  10  50  30
TAOS............................  34  65  26  48 /   0   5  30  30
SANTA FE........................  38  67  30  51 /   0   5  10  40
SANTA FE AIRPORT................  39  68  32  53 /   0   0  10  30
ESPANOLA........................  39  71  33  55 /   0   5  10  20
ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS.............  49  73  40  59 /   0   0   0  10
ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY..............  43  74  39  64 /   0   0   0  10
ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS...........  47  71  37  60 /   0   0   0  10
ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA...........  43  74  37  64 /   0   0   0  10
SOCORRO.........................  44  81  41  68 /   0   0   0   0
SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST.........  44  69  31  53 /   0   0  10  20
MORIARTY/ESTANCIA...............  37  70  32  56 /   0   0  10  30
CARRIZOZO.......................  45  78  40  63 /   0   0   0   0
RUIDOSO.........................  41  71  36  55 /   0   0   0  10
RATON...........................  35  66  30  47 /   0  10  60  40
LAS VEGAS.......................  41  66  29  47 /   0   0  30  40
ROY.............................  42  69  32  48 /   0   5  30  40
CLAYTON.........................  45  72  33  47 /   0   5  50  40
SANTA ROSA......................  45  81  37  59 /   0   0  20  30
TUCUMCARI.......................  49  79  40  55 /   0   0  20  30
FORT SUMNER.....................  48  80  42  59 /   0   0  10  30
CLOVIS..........................  50  81  41  56 /   0   0  10  30
PORTALES........................  50  83  43  61 /   0   0  10  20
ROSWELL.........................  50  87  46  66 /   0   0   0  10

&&

.ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES...NMZ101>109.

WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...
NMZ001-002-004>008-010>014-016-017-026.

FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ103>109.

&&

40/34

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 15, 2:21 PM MST, 34 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
321 PM MDT TUE APR 15 2008

NMZ001>021-026-161200-
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-
321 PM MDT TUE APR 15 2008

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE REGION THROUGH MID
EVENING DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES. PLEASE REFER TO
THE LATEST RED FLAG WARNING STATEMENT FOR DETAILS. A WIND ADVISORY
REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL AREAS EXCEPT THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND
SOUTHEAST PLAINS INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. PLEASE REFER TO THE
LATEST WIND ADVISORY STATEMENT FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND LOW
HUMIDITIES ARE FORECAST AGAIN WEDNESDAY ACROSS ALL BUT THE FAR
NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. SEE FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR
DETAILS. IN ADDITION...SUSTAINED WINDS OVER 30 MPH AND GUSTS TO 50
MPH ARE EXPECTED IN MOST LOCATIONS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40.

LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING...SIGNIFICANT SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND
NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS.  THE SNOW COULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY NORTH
WINDS AT TIMES WHICH COULD NOTICEABLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES.

CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND LOW
HUMIDITIES WILL RETURN THIS WEEKEND AND PERSIST MONDAY.
SUSTAINED WINDS OVER 30 MPH AND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH MAY OCCUR BOTH
SUNDAY AND MONDAY.

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

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

CONTACT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TO
REPORT WILDFIRES AND OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS.

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Sandia/Manzano Mountains

When: April 15, 2:55 PM MST to April 30, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Sandia/Manzano Mountains forecast zone
Property damage: $8.5 million
Reported by: Park/Forest Service

The Trigo Wildfire began on the west slopes of the Manzano Mountains and was initially spread by southwest wind gusts to 35 mph. The fire reached Osha Peak during the evening of April 16th. On the 20th, the fire spread rapidly northeast due to 40 mph winds. It entered flatter terrain on the east side of the Manzanos, and by April 21st, 3750 acres were burned including nine homes, nine outbuildings and two recreational vehicles. The 4800 acre fire was 95 percent contained by April 29th, but was fanned by strong southwest winds of 40 to 50 mph on the 30th, forcing the evacuation of Sufi and Apple Mountain Campgrounds and the Sherwood Forest subdivision, west of Torreon. Over 50 additional homes and one communications tower were damaged or destroyed, mainly in the Sherwood Forest area as the fire grew to more than 11,000 acres. The fire continued to be uncontained into the month of May.

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, April 2008

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: 85923.