The third exposure death in the Farmington area of the winter season occurred during the morning of the 31st.
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.
The third exposure death in the Farmington area of the winter season occurred during the morning of the 31st.
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 Jan 30, 9:41 PM MST, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 941 PM MST SUN JAN 30 2011 .UPDATE...WILL GO AHEAD AND UPGRADE SEVERAL ZONES TO A WINTER STORM WARNING...NAMELY THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS...AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND HIGHLANDS. THESE REPRESENT HIGHEST CONFIDENCE AREAS FOR HIGH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. TIMING WILL CERTAINLY BE TRICKY...WITH DIFFERENT ZONES DETERIORATING AT DIFFERENT RATES DUE TO PASSAGE OF FIRST SWATH OF UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS AND THEN FRONTOGENETICAL AND UPSLOPE FORCING MONDAY NIGHT. WILL KEEP PRODUCT WITH AS FEW SEGMENTS AS POSSIBLE TO SIMPLIFY THINGS...BUT BE COGNIZANT THAT THE ONSET OF HEAVIER SNOW INTO MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE VARIABLE ACROSS THE AREA. FORECASTED TEMPERATURES AT H7 CONTINUE TO MIMIC AN H5 CHART...AND THIS WILL CERTAINLY BE A MONUMENTAL COLD SPELL FOR THE STATE. NEW WINTER STORM WARNING WILL BE OUT SHORTLY WITH UPDATED ZONES TO FOLLOW. 52 && .PREV DISCUSSION...300 PM MST SUN JAN 30 2011... POTENTIALLY RECORD BREAKING COLD...DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS...AND ACCUMULATING SNOW TO IMPACT THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. BOUNDARY WHICH BACKED INTO THE BORDER AREA FROM KCAO TO KCVN OVERNIGHT HAS RETREATED THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL RETURN AGAIN TONIGHT/MONDAY...BRINGING SOME COLDER AIR WITH IT. INITIAL BOUT OF SNOW IN THE FAR WEST WITH FIRST SYSTEM ON MONDAY SHOULD TAPER OFF SOME BY LATE MONDAY NIGHT...BUT MAY PICK UP AGAIN BY TUESDAY EVENING AS SIGNIFICANT COOLING OCCURS AND LOW LEVEL WINDS SHIFT TO EASTERLY. THE POSITION OF THE SECOND...AND DEVELOPING UPPER LOW MAKES UPGRADING THE WATCH OVER MUCH OF THE WEST VERY TRICKY AT THIS TIME. SAME GOES FOR THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. SOUTHEAST TO EAST WIND MAY BEGIN TO LEAK INTO THE REGION LATE MONDAY NIGHT AS THE NORTHEAST WINDS DEEPEN TO 725-700 MB BY 12Z TUE. POTENTIALLY RECORD BREAKING COLD IN THE NORTHEAST/NORTHCENTRAL AS FORECAST HIGHS...BASED ON THE MEX...CONTINUE TO DROP INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS...WITH LOWS WEDNESDAY NIGHT NEAR 20 BELOW ZERO. WIND CHILLS LATER MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WILL BE NEAR 20 DEGREES BELOW AS WELL...AND BLOWING SNOW MAY MAKE FOR DANGEROUS TRAVEL OVER THE NORTHEAST...ESPECIALLY ON THE KRTN TO KCAO ROUTE. 700 MB TEMPS OF AROUND -20 DEGREES FORECAST EVEN OVER THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND WESTWARD BY WEDNESDAY AS THE SECOND UPPER LOW MOVES OVERHEAD. HIGHS A WHOPPING 25 TO 40 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE ARE FORECAST WEDNESDAY...WHICH IS SCARY. SOME MODERATION IN THE COLD COMES BY FRIDAY...BUT ANOTHER STORM...PACKING ANOTHER ARCTIC AIR MASS...COULD PLUNGE INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES EARLY NEXT WEEK. .AVIATION...ONLY ISSUES FOR AVIATORS TODAY ARE HIGH CLOUDS AND OCCASIONAL MOUNTAIN INDUCED TURBULENCE AS MIDDLE TO HIGHER LEVER WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 40 KNOT FLOW OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. ALL TERMINALS VFR THROUGH TONIGHT. ON MONDAY CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY DETERIORATE WITH INITIAL MOUNTAIN TOP OBSCURATIONS EARLY TO MID MORNING...FOLLOWED BY MVFR CONDITIONS DUE TO PRECIPITATION ACROSS BEGINNING FIRST ACROSS THE WEST AND NORTH AROUND SUNRISE THEN SPREADING EAST THROUGHOUT THE DAY. CONDITIONS DETERIORATE FURTHER WITH IFR CONDITIONS LIKELY BOTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 10Z. .FIRE WEATHER...A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE WEATHER BEGINNING MONDAY CONTINUING THROUGH THURSDAY. WETTING PRECIPITATION LIKELY AND SHOULD SPREAD OVER MOST OF THE AREA. IN ADDITION...A SIGNIFICANT COOL DOWN IS A CERTAINTY. TODAY...UPPER FLOW WILL BECOME WESTERLY BY THIS AFTERNOON. AT THE SAME TIME THE WIND SHIFT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN PLAINS WILL GRADUALLY MIX OUT AND SWITCH BACK TO A MORE SOUTH/SOUTHWEST INFLUENCE. SOME BREEZINESS IS EXPECTED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND AREAS TO THE LEE OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THIS SAME BREEZINESS SHOULD COMBINE WITH NEAR CRITICAL RH VALUES ACROSS PORTIONS OF GUADALUPE COUNTY TO GENERATE 1 TO POSSIBLY 2 HOURS OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA. TOMORROW WILL BE A WEATHER TRANSITION DAY AS PRECIPITATION FROM THE FIRST OF TWO UPPER LOWS BEGINS TO AFFECT WESTERN AND NORTHERN AREAS. THE INITIAL BACK DOOR COLD FRONT SHOULD SPREAD PRECIPITATION INTO PORTIONS OF THE NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS AS WELL AS THE EAST SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS LATER ON MONDAY. A THICKER CLOUD COVER SHOULD OVERSPREAD MOST OF THE AREA ON MONDAY WITH SOME BREEZINESS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIER. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. A MODIFIED ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL MOVE FROM THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS MONDAY AFTERNOON WEST AND SOUTH ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH TUESDAY. AS A RESULT...EAST CANYON WINDS ARE LIKELY AS EARLY AS MONDAY EVENING BUT FIRMLY IN PLACE BY TUESDAY MORNING. THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT INDICATES AT LEAST BRISK EAST WIND CONDITIONS MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. SIGNIFICANT UPSLOPE PRECIPITATION EVENT WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND EVENTUALLY PORTIONS OF THE JEMEZ MOUNTAINS DURING THE MONDAY NIGHT PERIOD. THE CONVERGENCE ZONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE EAST CANYON SURGE SHOULD PUSH WEST THROUGH THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY GENERATING THE LIKELIHOOD OF SOME INTENSE BANDED PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AREAS...WHICH MAY COINCIDE WITH THE SECOND UPPER LOW DIGGING SOUTH THROUGH THE STATE BRINGING A SIGNIFICANT DIFFLUENCE OR POSITIVE LIFT FIELD ALOFT WHICH WOULD AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRECIPITATION...ALL IN THE FORM OF SNOW TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME...WETTING SNOW WOULD BE MOST FOCUSED BETWEEN THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND RIO GRANDE VALLEY DURING THE TUESDAY TIME FRAME AS SNOWFALL BECOMES LESS PREVALENT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE EAST. THIS SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT AND PERHAPS WEDNESDAY. MODEL TRENDS INDICATE A SNOW SIGNIFICANT EVENT COMBINED WITH DANGEROUSLY LOW TEMPERATURES. LATEST MODELS SHOW PRECIPITATION WINDING DOWN BY ACROSS NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND LINGERING ACROSS SOUTHERN SECTIONS THROUGH THURSDAY. DRIER BUT COOL CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. HUMIDITY VALUES THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK SHOULD BE ON THE HIGH SIDE...EVEN ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS ONE WOULD EXPECT SOME SNOW MELT AND/OR SUBLIMATION DUE TO ANTICIPATED SNOW COVER. BUILT IN SOME OF THIS SNOW MELT WITHIN THE GRIDDED DEWPOINT FORECAST. AS MENTIONED ABOVE...TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOLER THAN NORMAL WITH SOME READINGS AS MUCH AS 45 BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS AND NEAR 35 BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE WEST...ESPECIALLY FOCUSED ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. VENTILATION WILL BE HIGHER THROUGH TOMORROW BUT GRADUALLY TREND DOWN...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AS THE MODIFIED ARCTIC INTRUSION MAKES ITS WAY SOUTH AND WESTWARD. THE UPCOMING WEEKEND LOOKS TO BEGIN DRY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AT THE START THEN BECOMES UNSETTLED AND COLDER AS A ANOTHER TROUGH ALOFT DROPS INTO THE STATE FROM THE NORTH AND A ANOTHER SURFACE ARCTIC AIRMASS INFILTRATES THE STATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. 01 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS UPDATE... FARMINGTON...................... 26 41 22 33 / 10 40 30 60 DULCE........................... 18 35 17 26 / 20 60 60 80 CUBA............................ 23 41 17 26 / 20 60 60 80 GALLUP.......................... 21 39 15 31 / 10 50 40 60 EL MORRO........................ 20 40 14 28 / 20 50 40 70 GRANTS.......................... 19 41 16 32 / 10 50 40 80 QUEMADO......................... 22 42 18 32 / 10 60 40 60 GLENWOOD........................ 26 48 18 42 / 5 50 30 40 CHAMA........................... 9 33 12 20 / 20 70 80 90 LOS ALAMOS...................... 25 40 15 22 / 5 60 60 80 PECOS........................... 22 46 9 16 / 0 30 80 90 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 11 39 9 15 / 0 70 90 90 RED RIVER....................... 12 29 1 4 / 5 70 100 90 ANGEL FIRE...................... 13 36 1 5 / 5 70 90 90 TAOS............................ 18 40 9 17 / 0 50 70 80 MORA............................ 19 43 4 10 / 0 30 80 90 ESPANOLA........................ 22 45 15 26 / 0 40 60 90 SANTA FE........................ 22 44 12 21 / 0 50 70 80 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 25 45 18 24 / 0 40 60 80 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 28 45 20 26 / 5 40 60 80 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 31 47 25 30 / 0 30 50 70 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 29 49 24 33 / 0 30 50 70 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 30 49 25 33 / 5 30 50 70 LOS LUNAS....................... 30 51 27 34 / 0 30 50 70 RIO RANCHO...................... 30 48 26 32 / 5 30 50 70 SOCORRO......................... 33 54 28 35 / 0 40 50 50 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 27 41 15 22 / 0 50 80 90 TIJERAS......................... 26 43 18 24 / 0 50 70 80 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 25 49 15 21 / 0 30 80 90 CLINES CORNERS.................. 25 44 8 12 / 0 20 80 90 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 28 50 16 22 / 0 30 80 80 CARRIZOZO....................... 28 55 24 29 / 0 20 50 40 RUIDOSO......................... 35 51 16 20 / 0 20 60 60 CAPULIN......................... 22 36 -2 0 / 5 50 90 80 RATON........................... 21 40 4 6 / 5 50 90 90 SPRINGER........................ 23 44 5 10 / 5 30 80 90 LAS VEGAS....................... 24 43 5 10 / 0 20 80 90 CLAYTON......................... 24 29 0 7 / 5 40 80 70 ROY............................. 27 39 7 9 / 5 20 80 80 CONCHAS......................... 26 49 11 17 / 5 10 70 70 SANTA ROSA...................... 28 54 13 17 / 0 10 80 70 TUCUMCARI....................... 24 43 9 14 / 5 10 70 70 CLOVIS.......................... 27 54 8 16 / 5 10 60 50 PORTALES........................ 26 54 10 18 / 5 10 60 50 FORT SUMNER..................... 28 56 14 20 / 0 10 60 60 ROSWELL......................... 29 66 24 27 / 0 10 40 50 PICACHO......................... 29 61 22 25 / 0 10 50 60 ELK............................. 29 58 20 25 / 0 10 50 60 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ501>509-516>520-524>526-530>540. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM MST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ510>515-521>523-527>529. && 52
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 615 AM MST SUN JAN 30 2011 NMZ501>540-311300- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-CHUSKA MOUNTAINS-FAR NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS- NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS-WEST CENTRAL PLATEAU-WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS- SAN FRANCISCO RIVER VALLEY-SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-JEMEZ MOUNTAINS- WEST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET- EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- LOWER CHAMA RIVER VALLEY-SANTA FE METRO AREA-ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA- LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY-SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS-ESTANCIA VALLEY- CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-UPPER TULAROSA VALLEY- SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-RATON RIDGE/JOHNSON MESA- FAR NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-UNION COUNTY- HARDING COUNTY-EASTERN SAN MIGUEL COUNTY-GUADALUPE COUNTY- QUAY COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY-ROOSEVELT COUNTY-DE BACA COUNTY- CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS-EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHWEST CHAVES COUNTY- 615 AM MST SUN JAN 30 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A SIGNIFICANT TO PERHAPS MAJOR WINTER STORM APPEARS INCREASINGLY LIKELY TO TAKE SHAPE ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO DURING THE MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY PERIOD. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIKELY IN THE NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO MOUNTAINS...AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN PLAINS DURING THIS PERIOD. THE GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS SEEM MOST LIKELY TO FALL FROM THE GENERAL VICINITY OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TO THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN DURING THE LATE MONDAY NIGHT TO EARLY WEDNESDAY INTERVAL. IN ADDITION...BITTERLY COLD AIR WILL OVERSPREAD EASTERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...WITH THE COLDEST READINGS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS EITHER SIDE OF ZERO IN NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO MONDAY NIGHT TO TUESDAY NIGHT. STRONG NORTH AND NORTHEAST WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES DURING THIS PERIOD. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS STARTING MONDAY THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ABQ OR BY CALLING 1.888.386.7637. 43
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
A 61 year-old man died of exposure in a wooded area near the intersection of Southside River Road and River View Lane in Farmington. Morning low temperatures only dipped down to 31 degrees in Farmington.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold/Wind Chill, Northwest Plateau | 2011-01-31 | 61 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, January 2011
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: 276818.