A stationary, marginally severe storm, dropped over a foot of hail across Johnson Mesa, approximately 16 miles east of Raton. Many travelers through the area claimed that it had looked like it had snowed.
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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 stationary, marginally severe storm, dropped over a foot of hail across Johnson Mesa, approximately 16 miles east of Raton. Many travelers through the area claimed that it had looked like it had snowed. Farther east, much of the precipitation fell as rain, and flooded part of State Highway 456.
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 Jul 2, 2:00 AM MST, 11 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 300 AM MDT SAT JUL 2 2011 .DISCUSSION...REGIME CHANGE IS FINALLY HERE. CONVECTION CONTINUES TO BUBBLE OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS AS OF THIS WRITING. TPW IMAGERY SHOWS MOISTURE BACKING NORTHWESTWARD...AND SOUTHEAST WINDS HAVE STEADILY INCREASED DEWPOINTS THE LAST FEW HOURS FROM THE TAOS AREA THROUGH THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. 00Z MET/MAV GUIDANCE POPS HAVE INCREASED FOR TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AS THE HIGH CENTER SETS UP OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION AND STAYS PUT FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. HAVE NUDGED POPS TOWARDS THE HIGHER GUIDANCE NUMBERS...AND THINK THE PERCENTAGE OF WET TO DRY STORMS WILL INCREASE...EXCEPT FOR THE FAR NORTHWEST TODAY WHERE THE DRIER AIR MAY REMAIN CORNERED. THEREAFTER...MOISTURE RECYCLE AND STEERING WINDS WILL KEEP POPS CONFINED TO MAINLY THE NORTHWEST HALF TO TWO THIRDS OF THE FORECAST AREA FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. THE 00Z ECMWF PARKS THE HIGH CENTER OVER NEW MEXICO NEXT WEEK...SO IT/S NOT AS WELCOMING TO A SOUTHERLY FLOW OF MOISTURE INTO THE STATE AS IT PREVIOUSLY WAS. && .AVIATION...ISOLATED TSTMS WILL CONTINUE OVER NE NM THRU APPROXIMATELY 11Z. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL FROM THEN UNTIL 18Z WHEN NEW TSTMS DEVELOP OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM...THOUGH WILL BE MOST LIKELY ACROSS NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO DUE TO A DRIER BOUNDARY LAYER. OTHERWISE...SMOKE FROM AREA WILDFIRES WILL ONCE AGAIN WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO AS WELL AS CENTRAL AND EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY. NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 21Z. && .FIRE WEATHER...THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH WILL BE THE MAIN PLAYER OVER THE NEXT 7 DAYS...KEEPING TEMPERATURES NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL AND SUPPRESSING ANY MONSOONAL SURGES. FORTUNATELY...WITH THE UPPER HIGH ALOFT...WINDS WILL BE LIGHT...EXCEPT DUE TO THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOWS. UPPER LEVEL HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD OVER NM TODAY THOUGH WILL REMAIN ELONGATED EASTWARD WITH A SECONDARY HIGH OVER MISSOURI/ARKANSAS. SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW AT THE SURFACE WILL USHER IN SOME GULF MOISTURE TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN HIGH TERRAIN. MAINLY DRY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE FAR NORTHWEST CORNER...THOUGH A MIX OF WET AND DRY IS EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH ANY STORM...THOUGH ARE MOST LIKELY WITH THE DRIER STORMS IN THE NW. UPPER HIGH WILL BE ANCHORED OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION ON SUNDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONCE AGAIN EXPECTED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THIS SCENARIO WILL NOT ALTER MUCH OVER THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS AS THE UPPER HIGH ONLY MAKES SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS IN ITS PLACEMENT. HOWEVER...WITH THE LACK OF STEERING FLOW...STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BE SLOW MOVING...IF THEY MOVE AT ALL. THEREFORE...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE...AND ATTENTION WILL HAVE TO BE PAID TO AREA BURN SCARS. A MIX OF WET AND DRY STORMS IS EXPECTED...THOUGH WILL BE TRENDING TOWARD THE WETTER VARIETY IN GENERAL. RELATIVE HUMIDITIES TODAY WILL GENERALLY REMAIN ABOVE 15 PERCENT EXCEPT ACROSS NORTHWEST AND FAR WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE. FAIR TO GOOD RECOVERIES TONIGHT. SIMILAR RELATIVE HUMIDITY READINGS EXPECTED OVER THE NET FEW DAYS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 97 62 95 63 / 5 20 10 30 DULCE........................... 87 48 88 49 / 10 30 20 30 CUBA............................ 88 51 89 52 / 10 20 20 30 GALLUP.......................... 92 54 90 55 / 20 20 20 20 EL MORRO........................ 87 51 87 52 / 20 20 20 20 GRANTS.......................... 91 59 90 58 / 10 20 20 20 QUEMADO......................... 90 53 88 56 / 10 20 20 20 GLENWOOD........................ 95 62 94 61 / 10 10 20 20 CHAMA........................... 83 44 83 45 / 30 30 30 30 LOS ALAMOS...................... 85 62 85 62 / 20 20 20 20 PECOS........................... 83 55 83 55 / 20 30 20 30 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 84 50 85 52 / 30 30 30 20 RED RIVER....................... 75 44 76 43 / 40 40 40 30 ANGEL FIRE...................... 78 47 80 47 / 30 30 30 30 TAOS............................ 87 51 88 51 / 20 30 20 20 MORA............................ 80 54 81 54 / 30 30 20 30 ESPANOLA........................ 91 55 91 58 / 20 20 20 20 SANTA FE........................ 89 58 89 58 / 20 30 20 30 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 91 60 91 60 / 20 20 20 30 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 93 66 90 67 / 10 20 10 20 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 94 70 92 70 / 5 20 10 20 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 96 64 93 64 / 5 20 10 20 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 96 64 93 64 / 5 20 10 20 LOS LUNAS....................... 96 64 95 62 / 5 20 10 20 RIO RANCHO...................... 95 63 94 63 / 10 20 10 20 SOCORRO......................... 96 66 95 67 / 5 20 5 20 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 88 59 85 59 / 20 20 20 30 TIJERAS......................... 93 64 89 65 / 10 20 10 20 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 91 55 89 57 / 10 20 10 30 CLINES CORNERS.................. 85 60 86 59 / 10 20 10 20 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 90 62 90 62 / 10 20 10 20 CARRIZOZO....................... 92 63 90 64 / 10 20 10 5 RUIDOSO......................... 85 58 83 59 / 30 20 10 5 CAPULIN......................... 86 56 89 55 / 20 20 20 20 RATON........................... 90 57 92 57 / 20 20 20 20 SPRINGER........................ 89 58 91 58 / 20 20 20 20 LAS VEGAS....................... 85 58 86 56 / 20 20 20 20 CLAYTON......................... 93 65 95 64 / 10 10 5 5 ROY............................. 91 64 90 63 / 10 10 10 10 CONCHAS......................... 92 67 93 66 / 5 10 5 5 SANTA ROSA...................... 92 67 93 66 / 5 10 5 5 TUCUMCARI....................... 96 69 98 67 / 5 10 5 5 CLOVIS.......................... 94 65 95 65 / 5 5 5 5 PORTALES........................ 95 66 96 66 / 5 5 5 5 FORT SUMNER..................... 94 69 95 68 / 5 5 5 5 ROSWELL......................... 95 69 95 69 / 5 5 5 5 PICACHO......................... 90 61 90 62 / 10 10 5 5 ELK............................. 86 59 86 59 / 20 20 10 5 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 600 AM MDT SAT JUL 2 2011 NMZ501>540-031200- 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- 600 AM MDT SAT JUL 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HIGH BASED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHWEST PLATEAU WILL BE CAPABLE OF WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH AND DRY LIGHTNING. ELSEWHERE...GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS NEAR SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE LIKELY. SMOKE FROM THE LAS CONCHAS FIRE WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT AREAS WHERE TERRAIN INDUCED WINDS TRANSPORT THE SMOKE TO THE SOUTH AND EAST...AS WELL AS IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE FIRE. AN AIR QUALITY ALERT REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT WIND GUSTS AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE AT 1.888.386.7637 OR ONLINE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/ABQ.
The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 173 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:46 UTC.
1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail piled up between 12 and 17 inches over Johnson Mesa due to a stationary thunderstorm that persisted for approximately one hour. Though some stones were as large as a quarter, much of the hail was smaller. Snow plows had to be called out to clear Highway 72. Some motorists were stranded for nearly 6 hours.
Water was approximately four feet deep over Highway 456 at the Dry Cimarron River Crossing approximately 10 miles east of Folsom. A few fences were washed out due to the high water.
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, July 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: 319252, 321512.