An unseasonably cold late season upper level low pressure system over the northern Rockies developed southward into the Four Corners region on May 1st. A potent cold front also moved south and west across the eastern plains providing support for strong easterly upslope flow along the central mountain chain.
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.
An unseasonably cold late season upper level low pressure system over the northern Rockies developed southward into the Four Corners region on May 1st. A potent cold front also moved south and west across the eastern plains providing support for strong easterly upslope flow along the central mountain chain. Widespread snowfall between 6 and 10 inches was reported over the northern mountains, with lighter amounts of 2 to 6 inches of the surrounding highlands and upper Rio Grande Valley. Strong gap winds within the central valley also delivered wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph during the early morning hours May 1st.
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 May 1, 2:00 AM MST, 0 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 300 AM MDT SUN MAY 1 2011 .DISCUSSION... THE VERY SLOW MOVING AND UNSEASONABLY COLD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SPENT THE NIGHT JUST NW OF THE FOUR CORNERS AS A GUSTY BACK DOOR COLD FRONT PUSHED ITS WAY TO THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THE FRONT WILL SLAM INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY EARLY THIS MORNING WITH A STRONG EAST WIND BELOW CANYONS. WILL CONTINUE CONTINUE WITH THE HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THIS MORNING IN THE MIDDLE AND LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY...THOUGH PARTS OF ABQ DOWNWIND OF TIJERAS CANYON HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING WARNING CRITERIA WINDS. ELSEWHERE IN THE HIGH WIND WARNING AREA...SLIGHTLY WEAKER SPEEDS FROM 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE MORE LIKELY. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE ONGOING WINTER STORM HEADLINES FOR THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NE HIGHLANDS AND ADD WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES TO THE NW HIGHLANDS...AS WELL AS THE LOWER CHAMA AND UPPER RIO GRANDE RIVER VALLEYS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SNOW IN THE ADVISORY AREAS WILL BE THIS MORNING...WHEN LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE WILL STRENGTHEN AS THE BACK DOOR COLD FRONT PUSHES INTO THESE AREAS FROM THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST. AM CONCERNED ABOUT HOW LOW THE DEW POINTS ARE...EVEN BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT MODELS ARE VERY BULLISH ON SNOW ACCUMULATION IN THESE AREAS. FURTHER...THE UPPER TROUGH WILL CROSS VERY SLOWLY...AND THIS SHOULD GIVE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SOME TIME TO BACK INTO THE ADVISORY AREA. OPTED NOT TO ISSUE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE NE PLAINS SOUTHEASTWARD TO CLINES CORNERS...BUT AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW WILL CERTAINLY BE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS MAINLY THIS MORNING WHILE TEMPERATURES ARE COLDEST. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY AND MONDAY WILL BE 10 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AREAWIDE. THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH WILL GRADUALLY CROSS NM ON MONDAY. THE BEST DYNAMICS FOR SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL BE AHEAD OF THE TROUGH...SO ANY ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT FALL IN THE VICINITY OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS ON MONDAY SHOULD BE ON THE LIGHTER SIDE. THE BIGGER CONCERN TONIGHT AND MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE WIDESPREAD TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING. MANY LOWER ELEVATION PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN NM HAVE ALREADY PASSED THEIR AVERAGE LAST FREEZE DATE...SO THESE FRIGID TEMPS MAY CATCH SOME AMBITIOUS GARDNERS OFF GUARD. TUESDAY THROUGH THE COMING WORK WEEK...A DRIER AND WARMER NW FLOW ALOFT WILL ESTABLISH. A LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES INTO THE UPPER GREAT PLAINS WED THROUGH THURSDAY...AND THIS SHOULD SEND A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT INTO NEW MEXICOS NE PLAINS WED NIGHT OR THURSDAY. IT COULD EVEN SPARK A FEW SHOWERS...BUT NOTHING VERY HEAVY. LOOK FOR AN UPDATE TO THE CCF BY 4 AM...BECAUSE WE ARE STILL TWEAKING POPS AFTER THE TODAY PERIOD. 44 && .AVIATION... WINTER WEATHER EVENT WILL BRING WIDESPREAD IFR CONDITIONS TO MUCH OF NRN NM...GENERALLY ALONG/NORTH OF I-40 AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 550. MVFR CONDITIONS WILL RESIDE FROM KCAO TO KTCC WESTWARD TO KE80. IT APPEARS SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL IMPACT THE NRN MTS AS WELL AS KRTN/KLVS...WITH WIDESPREAD MT OBSCURATIONS LIKELY. EXPECT THESE CONDITIONS TIL 00Z/MON...THEN A GRADUAL REDUCTION IN PRECIP. IFR/MVFR CIGS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH SUN NIGHT/MON MORNING. MEANWHILE...STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND WESTWARD BEHIND A SURFACE COLD FRONT. THIS FEATURE WILL POSE A HIGH THREAT FOR WINDS RANGING FROM 30-40KTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 50KTS WITHIN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...INCLUDING KABQ. AN AVIATION WEATHER WARNING IS ALREADY IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON MDT. WINDS WILL BE SLOW TO DECREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY...REMAINING GUSTY TIL ABOUT 03Z/MON. NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 21Z. DPORTER && .FIRE WEATHER... SIGNIFICANT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED INTO THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. IN THE MEANTIME...A COLDER AND MORE HUMID AIRMASS WILL IMPACT AREAS ALONG/EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE FOR SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. ANOTHER OOZE OF MOISTURE ADVECTION WILL ARRIVE IN THE ERN PLAINS FOR WED NIGHT/THU. A HEALTHY BOUT OF ISENTROPIC LIFT IS NOTED ALONG THE 295K SURFACE EARLY THIS MORNING AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE MID-AFTERNOON HOURS. THIS WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD PCPN IMPACTING THE CENTRAL/EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE...GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE NRN MOUNTAINS AND INTO THE NE HIGHLANDS AS THE OROGRAPHIC UPSLOPE COMPONENT REMAINS STRONG THROUGH THE EVENING. MEANWHILE...A COLD FRONT WILL USHER IN SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER AIR AND HIGHER HUMIDITIES IN ITS WAKE. EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO BE 15 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES TODAY. PRECIPITATION WILL GRADUALLY WANE THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON MONDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIVITY SHIFTS INTO TX BY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN 15-25 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR MONDAY WITH MINIMUM HUMIDITIES RANGING FROM 15 PERCENT WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TO THE 30S/40S IN ERN NEW MEXICO. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MUCH LIGHTER AS WELL. HAINES AND VENTILATION RATES WILL TAKE A HIT AS A RESULT...WITH VERY LOW/VERY GOOD RESPECTIVELY. WESTERLY FLOW WILL RETURN TO THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT ON TUESDAY... WITH TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING 10-20 DEGREES. TEMPERATURES WILL STAY BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS...BUT MINIMUM HUMIDITIES WILL RANGE FROM 10 TO 35 PERCENT FROM THE WRN TO NRN MOUNTAINS. THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND ERN PLAINS WILL BE IN THE TEENS. VENTILATION RATES WILL LIKELY BE THE LOWEST DURING THIS PERIOD...RANGING FROM POOR TO GOOD. NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS ON WEDNESDAY AND ITS STILL UNCLEAR HOW MUCH COVERAGE CAN BE EXPECTED. NONETHELESS...ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL CLIPPER WILL DRIVE AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT THROUGH THE ERN PLAINS WED NIGHT/THU. HIGHER HUMIDITIES WILL BE LIMITED AS THE EXTENT OF MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE MARGINAL IN ITS WAKE. NO MAJOR SYSTEMS ARE PROGGED FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND...THUS CONFIDENCE IN WIDESPREAD CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS IS VERY LOW. DPORTER && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 50 24 56 26 / 20 5 0 0 DULCE........................... 41 14 48 19 / 80 30 10 0 CUBA............................ 43 13 46 23 / 70 40 10 0 GALLUP.......................... 50 16 55 15 / 10 10 5 0 EL MORRO........................ 48 14 49 16 / 10 20 10 0 GRANTS.......................... 50 13 47 16 / 40 30 10 0 QUEMADO......................... 49 18 56 20 / 5 5 0 0 GLENWOOD........................ 63 26 66 30 / 0 0 0 0 CHAMA........................... 33 16 43 17 / 80 40 20 0 LOS ALAMOS...................... 39 18 47 28 / 70 60 20 0 PECOS........................... 36 18 46 22 / 60 60 30 0 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 34 16 44 14 / 70 30 30 0 RED RIVER....................... 27 14 35 17 / 100 60 40 0 ANGEL FIRE...................... 28 16 36 17 / 100 60 40 0 TAOS............................ 39 19 45 17 / 70 30 20 0 MORA............................ 33 15 41 22 / 90 50 30 0 ESPANOLA........................ 44 22 51 27 / 60 30 10 0 SANTA FE........................ 43 20 48 25 / 50 60 20 0 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 45 24 50 25 / 40 50 10 0 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 46 24 51 31 / 20 40 10 0 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 50 31 53 35 / 10 40 5 0 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 50 27 54 28 / 10 40 5 0 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 48 24 54 29 / 20 40 5 0 LOS LUNAS....................... 51 25 55 28 / 10 30 0 0 RIO RANCHO...................... 47 24 52 30 / 20 40 10 0 SOCORRO......................... 53 34 59 35 / 5 10 0 0 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 41 20 44 26 / 50 60 30 0 TIJERAS......................... 45 22 46 28 / 40 50 20 0 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 44 22 48 22 / 40 40 30 0 CLINES CORNERS.................. 40 19 45 24 / 50 50 30 0 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 47 28 51 30 / 10 30 10 0 CARRIZOZO....................... 50 38 56 35 / 0 20 0 0 RUIDOSO......................... 46 27 45 30 / 10 30 20 0 CAPULIN......................... 35 19 39 25 / 90 30 40 5 RATON........................... 37 24 44 22 / 80 30 30 5 SPRINGER........................ 37 24 45 22 / 80 30 30 5 LAS VEGAS....................... 34 21 43 23 / 70 40 40 0 CLAYTON......................... 42 26 50 32 / 50 10 20 0 ROY............................. 40 25 46 27 / 60 20 20 0 CONCHAS......................... 49 26 52 32 / 40 20 20 5 SANTA ROSA...................... 49 27 52 30 / 30 30 20 0 TUCUMCARI....................... 50 29 54 33 / 30 20 20 5 CLOVIS.......................... 49 30 52 30 / 10 10 10 5 PORTALES........................ 51 32 53 31 / 10 10 10 5 FORT SUMNER..................... 52 34 57 32 / 20 20 10 0 ROSWELL......................... 57 37 56 33 / 5 10 10 5 PICACHO......................... 51 35 50 27 / 5 20 10 0 ELK............................. 49 32 48 28 / 5 20 10 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 AM MDT MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ503-504-516-517. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MDT MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ510>515-527>529. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL NOON MDT TODAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ518>520. && 44/46
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 602 AM MDT SAT APR 30 2011 NMZ501>540-011200- 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- 602 AM MDT SAT APR 30 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A SPRING SNOW STORM WILL TARGET NORTHERN NEW MEXICO TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY. SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL BEGIN IN THE MOUNTAINS NEAR THE COLORADO BORDER THIS EVENING...THEN SPREAD TO THE REMAINDER OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY...NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND NORTHEAST PLAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS SUNDAY THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY. ACCUMULATIONS BY MONDAY MORNING MAY REACH SEVERAL INCHES IN THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND UPWARDS OF A FOOT ACROSS THE SAN JUAN AND SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS. A FEW INCHES OF SNOW WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PLAINS...CENTRAL HIGHLANDS ALONG AND NORTH OF I-40...SANDIA AND JEMEZ MOUNTAINS...LOWER CHAMA AND UPPER RIO GRANDE RIVER VALLEYS...AND THE SANTA FE METRO AREA. VERY COLD AIR WILL ACCOMPANY THE STORM SYSTEM...WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES SUNDAY AND MONDAY FROM 7 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO SATURDAY NIGHT AND ESPECIALLY SUNDAY NIGHT. FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE WINTER STORM...PLEASE REVIEW THE LATEST WINTER STORM WATCH. IN ADDITION...STRONG EAST CANYON WINDS WILL DEVELOP IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS AT 40 MPH WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 60 MPH IN ALBUQUERQUE BELOW TIJERAS CANYON EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. 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 THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ABQ OR BY CALLING 1.888.386.7637. 44
5 heavy snow, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Various snowfall amounts between 4 and 8 inches were reported from public and spotters. Wagon Mound received 8 inches of snowfall.
Various amounts between 1 and 6 inches were reported from public, law enforcement, and spotters. Trujillo received 4 inches of snowfall.
High wind gust of 62 mph reported at base of Sandia Tram. A 59 mph wind gust was also measured at the mouth of Embudo Canyon.
Various snowfall amounts from spotters, CoCoRaHS, and SNOTEL data between 6 and 10 inches across the San Juan Mountains. El Rito reported 7.5 inches and Bateman SNOTEL 9.0 inches.
Various heavy snowfall amounts between 6 and 11 inches reported over the Jemez Mountains. Wolf Canyon reported 11 inches and Vacas Locas SNOTEL 8 inches.
Various reports between 2 and 9 inches were reported from CoCoRaHS, spotters, SNOTELs, and the public. Black Lake received 9 inches and Gascon 7 inches.
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, May 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: 287979, 287984, 287964, 287965, 287967, 287975.