A powerful early autumn storm system over the Great Basin spread strong winds and deep moisture across much of north and central New Mexico beginning early on October 11th. Strong to severe thunderstorms first developed over the southwest portion of the state and spread quickly north and east into the central valley and eastern plains by mid afternoon.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
A powerful early autumn storm system over the Great Basin spread strong winds and deep moisture across much of north and central New Mexico beginning early on October 11th. Strong to severe thunderstorms first developed over the southwest portion of the state and spread quickly north and east into the central valley and eastern plains by mid afternoon. High winds also developed by the afternoon over the far western portions of the state.
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 Oct 11, 6:36 AM MST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 736 AM MDT SAT OCT 11 2008 .UPDATE... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 915 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR CATRON... CIBOLA AND MCKINLEY COUNTIES EFFECTIVE UNTIL 21Z. MORNING SOUNDING FROM TUSCON LOOKING VERY IMPRESSIVE WITH PWATS OVER 1.25 INCH AND STRONG SHEAR. MOISTURE SURGE IS PUSHING NORTHWARD THROUGH THE WRN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGHOUT ALL LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. SURFACE DEWPOINTS HAVE CLIMBED ON THE ORDER OF 10 TO 15 DEGREES IN THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS. INSTABILITY IS IMPROVING ACROSS THE REGION WHERE THE TUSCON SOUNDING NOTED 1300 J/KG OF CAPE. LARGE SCALE UPR LEVEL FORCING SHOULD SUPPORT CONTINUED EXPANSION OF SHOWER/TSTORM DEVELOPMENT TODAY. MAIN CONCERN WILL BE SUPERCELLS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50KTS. UPDATED ZFPABQ WILL BE ISSUED SHORTLY. DPORTER && .PREV DISCUSSION...325 AM MDT SAT OCT 11 2008... SO MUCH WX FODDER FOR DISCUSSION...SO LITTLE TIME. NORBERT MOISTURE GETTING SUCKED UP ALREADY AHEAD OF POTENT...WIND LADEN UPPER TROUGH NOW CLOSING OFF BETWEEN RENO AND VEGAS. SHOWERS AND A FEW STORMS INCREASING ACROSS SW AND S CENTRAL NM AND ALREADY GETTING INTO E CENTRAL NM. AS DAY PROGRESSES THERE WILL BE FURTHER SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SHOWER/STORM COVERAGE AND INTENSITY. SPC EXPANDED SLIGHT RISK TO THE W TO COVER MOST OF E AND S CENTRAL NM AND THIS SEEMS REASONABLE. AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER WILL BE ONE FACTOR THAT MAY LIMIT SEVERE POTENTIAL IN SLIGHT RISK AREA ALONG WITH FACT THAT EAST EDGE OF DEVELOPING DRY SLOTTING WILL LIKELY BE TOO FAR W TO AID IN PROVIDING DRY WEDGE IN MID LEVELS. BUT WITH WINDS ALOFT INCREASING AND STORMS MOVING BRISKLY TO NE ACROSS RISK AREA THOSE WINDS WILL LIKELY BE CAPTURED AND ENTRAINED IN STRONGER STORM DOWNDRAFTS...MAKING WIND THE GREATEST THREAT INITIALLY THIS AFTERNOON...THEN HAIL...WHILE SECONDARY THIS AFTN...MAY BECOME A LITTLE HIGHER PROBABILITY THIS EVENING. CAPE MAXIMIZED SE NM LATE AFTN AND E CENTRAL NM THIS EVENING. LOWERED POPS A LITTLE FOR THIS AFTN AND NIGHT MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND FAR N SOCORRO COUNTY AND WESTWARD INTO PORTIONS CIBOLA COUNTY AND NEARBY PORTIONS OF ADJACENT COUNTIES. THIS DONE TO ACCOUNT FOR WHAT I BELIEVE WILL BE A SLIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN SHADOW EFFECT OF STRONG SW FLOW TO NE OF THE GILA HIGHER TERRAIN. NAM GUIDANCE THIS AREA FOR 1ST AND 2ND PERIOD POPS MUCH LOWER THAN GFS...ASTOUNDINGLY SO...AS IT MAY BE OVERDOING ANY RAIN SHADOW EFFECT. IF FLOW ALOFT WAS MORE SOUTHERLY THE POPS LIKELY WOULD BE MUCH HIGHER. SO FCST POPS ARE BETWEEN NAM AND MAV GUIDANCE...BUT CLOSER TO MAV. HIGH WIND WATCH UPGRADED TO LOW END HIGH WIND WARNING FOR SAME AREAS AS BEFORE FOR THE WEST AND WIND ADVISORY TO THE EAST KEPT IN EFFECT AS WELL. MAY BE A LITTLE MARGINAL IN THE WEST...BUT THE FEWER CLOUDS THAT MOVE ACROSS THERE THE BETTER CHANCE FOR CRITERIA WINDS. ALSO CLOUDS MAY MAKE SOME EASTERN EDGES OF WIND ADVISORY AREA A LITTLE MARGINAL...BUT BEST TO LEAVE IN PLACE FOR NOW AND LET DAY CREW ADJUST IF NEED BE. STILL SOME MODEL DISAGREEMENT ON DEGREE OF DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF FOLLOW UP SHORT WAVES IN WEAKNESS BEHIND INITIAL STRONGER TROUGH PASSAGE. NAM HOLDING ON TO SOMEWHAT MORE AMPLIFIED PATTERN WITH SLOWER PROGRESSION AND AM LEANING A LITTLE MORE TOWARD THAT SCENARIO AS THAT SEEMS TO MORE OFTEN THAN NOT MATERIALIZE...ESPECIALLY IF MODELS HINT AT IT WELL AHEAD OF TIME. FOR THAT REASON ONLY TRIMMED BACK WESTERN EDGE OF POPS FIELD SUN INTO MON...BUT THIS AN ISSUE THAT WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED CLOSELY. THE SIZE OF THE SUBFREEZING TEMP REGIME FOR EARLY MON AND TUE STILL SOMEWHAT IN DOUBT...BUT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE LARGER THAN CURRENTLY DEPICTED IF SECONDARY TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED CLOUDS DO NOT MATERIALIZE. 43 .AVIATION... EXPECT CIGS TO LOWER ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. ONGOING CONVECTION WILL GRADUALLY EXPAND IN COVERAGE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES WITH WIDESPREAD PCPN LIKELY FROM 18Z SAT THRU 06Z SUN. HEAVIER RAINS WILL PRODUCE MVFR CONDITIONS. WITH FAST STEERING FLOW...EXPECT STORMS TO RACE TOWARD THE NE BETWEEN 30 AND 45 KTS. A FEW OF THE STRONGER STORMS IN THE ERN PLAINS MAY PRODUCE ISOLD WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 KTS AND HAIL. AFTER 06Z SUNDAY...THERE IS MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT WIDESPREAD CIGS/FOG WILL DROP AOB IFR STATUS ALONG/EAST OF THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN. SOME PATCHY IFR CONDITIONS COULD DEVELOP IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AS WELL. WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED IN MIND...WILL ADD MENTION TO 12Z TAFS FOR LVS/TCC ONLY AND LET DAY/EVENING SHIFTS INCLUDE IN ABQ/SAF IF NECESSARY. NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 21Z. DPORTER .FIRE WEATHER... UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN OVER THE WRN US... WITH DEEP MOISTURE BEING ADVECTED NORTHWARD FROM THE ERN PACIFIC. ONGOING CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND IN COVERAGE WITH MODELS SUGGESTING WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY ALONG AND EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. ANTICIPATE SIGNIFICANT WETTING RAINS AND HIGH HUMIDITIES. A 70KT 700-500MB MEAN LAYER JET WILL BISECT NM FROM THE W CENTRAL TO NRN MTS. SOME OF THIS MOMENTUM WILL TRANSLATE TO THE SURFACE... ALLOWING FOR BREEZY TO VERY WINDY CONDITIONS STATEWIDE...STRONGEST IN THE WRN ZONES. AN UPPER LEVEL DRY SLOT WILL MIGRATE FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE STATE STARTING SAT NIGHT...RELEGATING PCPN CHANCES AND HIGHER HUMIDITIES TO THE ERN PLAINS FOR SUNDAY. A BAGGING TROUGH WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE CENTRAL ROCKIES FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A SFC BOUNDARY SLIDES THROUGH THE ERN PLAINS SUN NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THIS FRONT WILL BRING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION AND ALLOW FOR A DECENT AMOUNT OF ISENTROPIC LIFT TO GENERATE WIDESPREAD STRATIFORM RAIN MON/MON NIGHT AND POSSIBLY INTO TUE. FOR THIS PERIOD...THERE MAY BE A LARGE DISPARITY IN MINIMUM HUMIDITIES WHEN COMPARING THE FOUR CORNERS AREA TO THE ERN PLAINS. STILL UNCERTAIN AS TO THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER SUN NIGHT AND MON NIGHT IN WRN AND NRN NM. IF SKIES CAN CLEAR OUT...EXPECT THE DRIER ATMOSPHERE COUPLED WITH LIGHT WINDS TO ENHANCE RADIATIONAL COOLING AND THE POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD FREEZING CONDITIONS IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN. DPORTER && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ002>007-009>012-015>017-026. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ001-008-014. && 46
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 756 AM MDT SAT OCT 11 2008 UPDATE TO EXPAND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK AREA. NMZ001>021-026-121200- 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- 756 AM MDT SAT OCT 11 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOST OF THE EAST HALF OF NEW MEXICO AND..FARTHER TO THE WEST...NEAR AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40. THE BEST CHANCE EXISTS NEAR AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM RATON TO GRANTS TO THE ARIZONA LINE WEST OF ZUNI PUEBLO WITH THE BEST TIME PERIOD AFTER 11 AM MDT. DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 70 MPH WILL BE THE GREATEST HAZARD WITH THESE STORMS AND HAIL IS ALSO A POTENTIAL HAZARD. SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE NOTABLY LATE THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON WITH SPEEDS CLIMBING TO 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUSTS FROM 45 TO 50 MPH ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. BUT EVEN STRONGER WINDS OF 30 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 60 MPH WILL PUMMEL ROUGHLY THE WESTERN QUARTER OR THIRD OF THE STATE SATURDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING ACROSS THE COUNTIES BORDERING TEXAS. THE GREATEST THREATS ARE DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL. THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF A SIGNIFICANT FROST OR FREEZE AS EARLY AS LATE SUNDAY OR MONDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE NORTHWEST QUARTER TO THIRD OF THE STATE...BUT THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHETHER CLOUDS AND WINDS WILL DIMINISH ENOUGH TO ALLOW WIDESPREAD SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST WEATHER STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. 43
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</html>The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:41 UTC.
10 hail, 5 high wind, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree down which fell on a trailer awning and a car.
Several large tree limbs were snapped in the vicinity of Cottonwood Mall and near other shopping centers.
Very heavy rain from thunderstorms washed out several roads in Rio Rancho.
Several downed trees and damage to an awning on a house were reported.
A steel building was destroyed and blown onto Interstate 40, six power poles were snapped, at least three water tanks were damaged beyond repair and a pumpkin shooter was damaged from sustained winds estimated at 55 to 70 mph with gusts of 90-100 mph. Corn stalks were also damaged in a large corn maze.
There was a brief tornado touchdown 2 miles east of Stanley. The small tornado was on the ground for two minutes. A roof was blown off a barn, 5 power poles were knocked down and 1 pole as snapped in two.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for New Mexico, 2008Warnings in New Mexico, October 2008
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 130844, 130892, 130881, 130882, 130878, 130879, 130880, 130894, 130887, 130893, 130883, 133217, 130884, 130885, 130898, 131682, 130895, 130896, 130897, 130886.