A backdoor cold front nudged up against the central mountain chain and generated upslope flow that aided in the development of showers and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and into the evening and overnight hours. Activity initially began along the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and developed south and eastward as the day progressed.
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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 backdoor cold front nudged up against the central mountain chain and generated upslope flow that aided in the development of showers and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and into the evening and overnight hours. Activity initially began along the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and developed south and eastward as the day progressed. Heavy rains accompanied these storms with storm motions to the east and southeast.
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 Aug 12, 2:03 PM MST, 2 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 303 PM MDT SUN AUG 12 2012 .DISCUSSION... SHOWERS AND STORMS FIRING OVER THE NE THIS PM BEHIND THE BACK DOOR COLD FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH THE EASTERN PLAINS LAST NIGHT. IT WILL BE AN ACTIVE EVENING WITH SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS...AND PROBABLY NOT MUCH LET UP AFTER MIDNIGHT. FAVORED AREAS WILL BE THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THEIR EAST SLOPES. GUSTY E WINDS INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THIS EVENING... PEAKING AROUND 35 MPH AT MIDNIGHT. STAGE SET FOR AN ACTIVE DAY ON MON WITH ADDED MOISTURE BETWEEN THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND RIO GRANDE VALLEY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS CONVECTION W AND CENTRAL AND ISOLATED EASTERN PLAINS. GRADUAL LESSENING OF STORMS FOR TUE AND WED WITH MOISTURE RECYCLED EACH DAY. ANOTHER BACK DOOR FRONT PROGGED FOR WED NIGHT AND THU WITH RENEWED MOISTURE AND THUS AN UPSWING IN SHOWERS AND STORMS FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. RECYCLED MOISTURE FOR NEXT WEEK WEEKEND WITH AN OVERALL DOWNWARD TREND IN CONVECTION. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD IN THE WEST. THROUGH WED...EAST ZONES WILL BE MOSTLY ABOVE NORMAL THEN BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES THU AND FRI...ONLY TO RETURN TO OR ABOVE NORMAL NEXT WEEKEND. CHJ && .FIRE WEATHER... BACK DOOR COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY NUDGED UP AGAINST THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN AND THE UPSLOPE FLOW IS AIDING IN SHOWER AND TSTM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE EAST SLOPES. SO FAR...THE MOST ACTIVE AREA IS THE EAST SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS WHERE SOME HEAVY RAINS HAVE BEEN NOTED. ACROSS THE WEST...STORMS HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH DRIER LOW LEVEL AIR STILL IN PLACE. THE FRONT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH THE GAPS OF THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN THIS EVENING AND PUSH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE BACK TO THE ARIZONA BORDER. THEREFORE...GOOD TO EXCELLENT RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECOVERIES ARE EXPECTED FOR MOST AREAS EXCEPT THE EASTERN PLAINS. SOME DRIER AIR WILL NUDGE INTO WESTERN NM ON MONDAY...SWITCHING SFC WINDS BACK AROUND TO THE WEST. HOWEVER...THIS SHOULD SET UP AN AREA OF CONVERGENCE ROUGHLY ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. THIS CONVERGENCE ZONE SHOULD BE A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT MONDAY AFTERNOON AND STEERING FLOW SHOULD ALLOW THESE STORMS TO DRIFT INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. OTHER FOCUS AREA WILL BE ALONG AND JUST EAST OF THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN AGAIN. MONDAY WILL BE VERY ACTIVE WITH MANY CENTRAL AND WESTERN AREAS RECEIVING WETTING RAINS. WITH THE EXPECTED RAIN AND CLOUD COVER...DAYTIME RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL BE 3 TO 8 PERCENT HIGHER THAN TODAY. HUMIDITY RECOVERIES MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE GOOD TO EXCELLENT NEARLY EVERYWHERE. STILL LOOKING FOR RECYCLING OF MOISTURE IN THE FORM OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY...WITH A LITTLE LESS COVERAGE ON WEDNESDAY. HUMIDITIES SHOULD TREND SLIGHTLY DOWNWARD EACH DAY. A STRONGER BACK DOOR COLD FRONT IS IN STORE FOR THURSDAY WHICH SHOULD PUSH THROUGH THE GAPS OF THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN THURSDAY EVENING. ANOTHER MOISTURE INTRUSION BEHIND THIS FRONT SHOULD INCREASE THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE FOR FRIDAY. THE FRONT SHOULD COOL TEMPERATURES 5 TO 15 DEGREES ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS. 34 && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE BACK DOOR COLD FRONT NUDGED UP AGAINST THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN... AND SLIGHTLY SPILLED INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THIS MORNING. THE FRONT HAS MIXED OUT IN THE VALLEY ALREADY...BUT EXPECT THE EAST CANYON WIND TO RETURN WITH GUSTS NEAR 30KTS THIS EVENING. OTHERWISE...SHRA AND TSRA WILL FAVOR THE HIGH TERRAIN AND EAST SLOPES/ADJACENT HIGHLANDS OF THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN THIS AFTN AND EVENING. BRIEF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS IN HEAVY RAIN AS WELL AS ERRATIC TSTM WIND GUSTS TO 40KTS ARE POSSIBLE. EXACT TIMING OF STORMS IMPACTING TAF SITES REMAINS SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN SO LARGELY KEPT VCSH/VCTS RATHER THAN TEMPO GROUPS IN TAFS. MOST TSTM ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH BY 06Z. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 65 93 64 91 / 40 30 30 20 DULCE........................... 52 87 51 86 / 40 40 30 30 CUBA............................ 53 88 52 88 / 60 50 40 30 GALLUP.......................... 59 89 58 87 / 30 20 30 30 EL MORRO........................ 53 81 54 80 / 30 50 40 30 GRANTS.......................... 54 86 52 87 / 30 50 40 30 QUEMADO......................... 56 92 54 90 / 30 30 30 30 GLENWOOD........................ 58 93 57 91 / 20 20 20 20 CHAMA........................... 51 78 51 78 / 50 60 40 40 LOS ALAMOS...................... 59 84 57 83 / 60 60 40 30 PECOS........................... 58 78 57 81 / 60 50 40 30 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 54 75 50 78 / 50 50 40 30 RED RIVER....................... 48 68 49 71 / 60 60 50 40 ANGEL FIRE...................... 47 71 46 74 / 60 60 50 40 TAOS............................ 53 83 52 85 / 50 50 40 30 MORA............................ 54 73 55 78 / 50 60 40 30 ESPANOLA........................ 59 88 58 91 / 40 40 40 20 SANTA FE........................ 58 84 56 85 / 50 40 40 30 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 61 86 59 89 / 50 40 40 30 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 64 89 62 90 / 50 40 40 30 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 67 91 66 92 / 40 30 40 20 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 64 92 62 94 / 40 30 40 20 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 65 92 66 94 / 50 30 40 20 LOS LUNAS....................... 64 91 62 91 / 40 30 40 20 RIO RANCHO...................... 65 91 65 91 / 50 40 40 20 SOCORRO......................... 65 97 63 95 / 30 40 30 20 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 56 87 58 87 / 60 50 40 30 TIJERAS......................... 59 89 58 91 / 50 40 40 30 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 56 84 59 87 / 60 50 40 30 CLINES CORNERS.................. 57 82 57 86 / 60 60 40 30 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 59 87 58 88 / 50 50 40 30 CARRIZOZO....................... 63 90 63 91 / 30 40 30 20 RUIDOSO......................... 57 80 58 81 / 40 60 30 30 CAPULIN......................... 56 82 55 83 / 20 40 40 30 RATON........................... 58 88 58 90 / 30 30 40 30 SPRINGER........................ 60 85 60 89 / 30 30 40 30 LAS VEGAS....................... 57 82 57 86 / 50 50 40 30 CLAYTON......................... 60 90 62 92 / 20 20 40 20 ROY............................. 64 86 63 89 / 20 30 40 30 CONCHAS......................... 66 91 67 93 / 30 20 30 30 SANTA ROSA...................... 65 94 66 96 / 40 20 30 20 TUCUMCARI....................... 66 95 68 98 / 20 20 30 20 CLOVIS.......................... 65 91 67 94 / 20 20 20 20 PORTALES........................ 66 93 67 96 / 20 20 20 20 FORT SUMNER..................... 67 93 69 95 / 30 20 30 20 ROSWELL......................... 71 96 71 99 / 20 20 20 10 PICACHO......................... 61 90 60 92 / 40 30 20 10 ELK............................. 58 85 58 86 / 40 30 20 20 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 40
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 553 AM MDT SUN AUG 12 2012 NMZ501>540-131200- 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- 553 AM MDT SUN AUG 12 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE CHANCE FOR SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 1 INCH WILL INCREASE THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING ALONG AND IMMEDIATELY EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HAZARDOUS RUNOFF WITHIN AND BELOW RECENTLY BURNED FORESTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE CHANCE FOR SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 1 INCH WILL CONTINUE MONDAY AND TUESDAY OVER NEARLY ALL OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. A DOWNWARD TREND IN STORM COVERAGE IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER INCREASE IN STORM COVERAGE MAY OCCUR THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HAZARDOUS RUNOFF WITHIN AND BELOW RECENTLY BURNED FORESTS THROUGH THIS ENTIRE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. GUYER
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1227 PM MDT SUN AUG 12 2012 NMZ513-515-528-121915- EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS-FAR NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTOS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER- 1227 PM MDT SUN AUG 12 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL COLFAX COUNTY THROUGH 115 PM MDT... AT 1223 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR UTE PARK...OR ABOUT 29 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGER...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. AREAS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...CIMARRON AND PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. && LAT...LON 3655 10471 3636 10486 3655 10517 3670 10506 TIME...MOT...LOC 1827Z 302DEG 14KT 3658 10502
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:20 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Serious flooding in at least one home was reported on the western edge of Edgewood, approximately one miles south of Route 66.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2012
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: 390869.