Significant moisture and instability over northern and central New Mexico forced the development of localized strong to severe thunderstorms. A back door frontal boundary draped along the east slopes of the central mountain chain provided enough environmental shear to produce funnel clouds.
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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.
Significant moisture and instability over northern and central New Mexico forced the development of localized strong to severe thunderstorms. A back door frontal boundary draped along the east slopes of the central mountain chain provided enough environmental shear to produce funnel clouds. Multiple funnel clouds were reported in the Sandia Park and Cedar Crest areas during this event.
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 19, 10:41 AM MST, 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1141 AM MDT SUN AUG 19 2012 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS ALL TERMINALS THROUGH 3 PM. AFTER 3 PM THROUGH 8 PM...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP OVER HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WESTERN...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THEN ROLL OFF THE TERRAIN AND AFFECT THE NEARBY VALLEYS AND PLAINS. STORM MOVEMENT WILL BE TO THE SOUTH WITH A NORTHERLY STEERING FLOW IN PLACE. BRIEF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS ARE POSSIBLE AT KLVS...KSAF AND KABQ DUE TO ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND GOOD INSTABILITY IN THE ATMOSPHERE GENERATING STORMS WITH LOWERED CLOUD DECKS AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. KROW MAY SEE A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR AS A LINE OF INSTABILITY AND CLOUDS MOVES SOUTH. WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 35 KTS WILL BE COMMON WITH THE STORMS TODAY...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGHER GUSTS DURING THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. && .PREV DISCUSSION...325 AM MDT SUN AUG 19 2012... DRY AIR BEGINNING TO PUSH INTO FAR NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO EARLY THIS MORNING AS A FALL LIKE AIRMASS SETTLES OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PLAINS. BACKDOOR COLD FRONT THROUGH THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND IS WORKING ITS WAY WESTWARD THROUGH THE WEST-CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. BOTH OF THESE BOUNDARIES EXPECTED TO BE THE FOCUS FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM FORMATION TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS OVER THE NE PLAINS THIS MORNING WILL BECOME LIGHT SELY/SLY BY THIS AFTERNOON...RETURNING HIGHER DEWPOINTS TO THE REGION AND SETTING THE STAGE FOR A FEW STRONG STORMS OVER THE NE HIGHLANDS THAT WILL PROPAGATE SEWD INTO THE NE PLAINS DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. FAVORABLE DIRECTIONAL WIND SHEAR COULD PRODUCE A FEW ORGANIZED CELLS...WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING HAIL. OVER THE WEST...WEAK CAA AT H5 ALONG WITH THE STALLED BACK DOOR FRONT NEAR THE DIVIDE SHOULD SET THE STAGE THERE FOR POSSIBLE STORM TRAINING THERE. A COUPLE OF OTHER SPOTS FAVORED WITH THE CURRENT SFC AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL BE THE GLORIETA PLATEAU SOUTH OF THE SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTOS SOUTH TO THE EAST MOUNTAIN AREA WHERE LIGHT UPSLOPE SELY FLOW WILL AID WITH STORM DEVELOPMENT. ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED MOUNTAIN CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO START DURING THE LATE MORNING AND MOVE/PROPAGATE SOUTH/SOUTHWESTWARD AT AROUND 15 MPH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NUMERICAL PREDICTION MODELS ARE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT TONIGHT AND MONDAY...TRANSITIONING THE FLOW ALOFT TO WLY AND LOWERING H5 HEIGHTS/TEMPS SOMEWHAT...AS WELL AS ALLOWING MONSOON MOISTURE OVER AZ TO SEEP EASTWARD INTO WESTERN AND CENTRAL NM. A VERY ACTIVE DAY APPEARS IN STORE FOR MOST AREAS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS AN UPPER LEVEL SHORT-WAVE TROUGH IN THE WLY FLOW ALOFT OVER-TOPS THE RIDGE AND DROPS INTO NE NM. SCATTERED STRONG STORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE NE AND EAST-CENTRAL PLAINS AS A BACK DOOR FRONT DROPS IN FROM SE COLORADO AND COMBINES WITH A STRONG (50 KTS) NWLY JET TO CREATE STRONG EFFECTIVE BULK WIND SHEAR. NWLY FLOW ALOFT REDEVELOPS OVER THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT TUESDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH REBUILDS OVER SW NM AND SE AZ. ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS IN THE OFFING TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH THE BEST CHANCES FOR STORMS OVER THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN AND ADJACENT HIGHLANDS AS WELL AS THE SW MOUNTAINS. RAISED PRECIP CHANCES SOMEWHAT FOR TUESDAY...WITH LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE AREA OF CONVECTION OVER ERN NM AND WEST TX WILL CREATE A MESO-SCALE SFC HIGH IN THIS AREA...MAINTAINING AN A LIGHT EASTERLY TO SELY UPSLOPE SFC FLOW. RAISED PRECIP CHANCES FOR MID WEEK AS WELL WITH LATEST MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT OUR QUASI-PERMANENT UPPER HIGH WILL BE SHUNTED SOUTHWARD INTO MEXICO...ALLOWING FOR A DEEP MONSOON MOISTURE TAP TO OCCUR THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. ECMWF ALSO THROWS IN SOME LARGE SCALE FORCING INTO THE MIX AS IT PROGS A WEAK SHORT-WAVE TROUGH MOVING THROUGH NRN NM AT THE SAME TIME. IN ANY EVENT...ALL THE OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE IS TRENDING WETTER FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WORK WEEK. 33 .FIRE WEATHER... GOOD CHANCES FOR WETTING RAIN WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST MID WEEK BEFORE TRENDING DOWN. GOOD TO EXCELLENT OVERNIGHT HUMIDITY RECOVERIES WILL GENERALLY CONTINUE THROUGH THE MID WEEK AS WELL... EXCEPT FOR THE NORTHWEST PLATEAU WHERE FAIR TO GOOD RECOVERIES WILL BE THE RULE. AFTER YESTERDAY'S SHORT-LIVED WARMING/DRYING...TODAY WILL BE MORE MOIST AND NOT AS WARM...WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL EAST AND NEAR NORMAL WEST. ROBUST THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...FAVORING THE HIGHER TERRAIN INITIALLY...THEN MOVING SOUTH LATER IN THE DAY AND BRINGING WETTING RAINS TO ADJACENT VALLEYS/HIGHLANDS. THE BEST CHANCES TODAY WILL BE OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS. BY MONDAY...A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL PREVAIL OVER MUCH OF THE STATE AND THE EFFECTS OF YESTERDAY'S BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL BE ALMOST GONE. A WARM UP IS FORECAST MONDAY ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF WITH GOOD CHANCES FOR WETTING RAINS CONTINUING...ESPECIALLY NORTHEAST LATE. THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH IS FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO NORTHERN MEXICO AND FAR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO BY TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH MOISTURE COMING AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE HIGH BY WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL KEEP GOOD CHANCES OF WETTING RAIN GOING THROUGH MID WEEK...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF. FORECAST CONFIDENCE DECREASES RAPIDLY BEYOND WEDNESDAY WITH THE LATEST MEDIUM RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS OFFERING SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES. THE 00Z ECMWF BRINGS A SLOW-MOVING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE EAST ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST AND INTO NORTHERN NEW MEXICO BY THURSDAY...WHILE THE 00Z GFS BUILDS AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH OVER THE AREA. OUR FORECAST IS CLOSER TO THE GFS...SHOWING A WARMING/DRYING TREND FROM MID WEEK THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND...BUT THIS DISCREPANCY IN THE MODEL SOLUTIONS WILL BE MONITORED CLOSELY FOR A POTENTIAL WETTING RAIN EVENT BY THU/FRI. 11 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 01
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 528 AM MDT SUN AUG 19 2012 NMZ501>540-201200- 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- 528 AM MDT SUN AUG 19 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN ACTIVE DAY IS IN STORE FOR NEW MEXICO TODAY AS A BACK DOOR FRONT STALLS NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND PROVIDES A FOCUS FOR SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN NEW MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANOTHER SURFACE FRONT/BOUNDARY OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS WILL ALSO BE A FOCUS FOR STORM DEVELOPMENT TODAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY DOWNPOURS...GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND THE THREAT FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY WITHIN AND BELOW RECENTLY BURNED FOREST AREAS THROUGH THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE WEAKENS OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES...AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL DROP SOUTHEASTWARD INTO NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO ON MONDAY. THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND PLAINS MONDAY AFTERNOON...AND TO THE NORTHEAST AND EAST-CENTRAL PLAINS MONDAY EVENING. HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE STORMS. ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY DOWNPOURS...GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND THE THREAT FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING... ESPECIALLY WITHIN AND BELOW RECENTLY BURNED FOREST AREAS THROUGH THIS EVENING. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 33
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:40 UTC.
6 hail, 3 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A classic funnel cloud as seen from near the intersection of Frost Rd and Highway 344 several miles north of Edgewood.
Video captured from the Vaughn NMDOT web camera showed a passing funnel cloud.
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: 393117, 393118, 393104, 393107, 393108, 393119, 393106, 393110, 393109.