Most locations in Southwest New Mexico started the month in Moderate(D1) to Severe(D2) drought with just Eastern Otero County in Extreme(D3) to Exceptional(D4) drought. An improvement was noted in and around Dona Ana County by the middle of the month with little change elsewhere.
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 EPZ wrote it up.
Most locations in Southwest New Mexico started the month in Moderate(D1) to Severe(D2) drought with just Eastern Otero County in Extreme(D3) to Exceptional(D4) drought. An improvement was noted in and around Dona Ana County by the middle of the month with little change elsewhere.
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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 1:39 PM MST, 10 hours 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 139 PM MST SAT DEC 31 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND WESTERN TEXAS TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY. AS A RESULT IT WILL BECOME BREEZY TO WINDY ACROSS THE REGION WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES OCCURRING ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. FOR THE REMAINDER OF NEXT WEEK HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWED BY WESTERLY WINDS WILL BRING DRY WEATHER WITH TEMPERATURES SLOWLY WARMING. && .DISCUSSION... UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS AND INTO THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TONIGHT WITH 1040 SURFACE HIGH BUILDING OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. THIS PATTERN WILL FORCE COOLER AIR INTO THE CWA LATER TONIGHT WITH COLD FRONT MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE REGION. LOW LEVEL GRADIENTS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL SUPPORT BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS LATER TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS AND ALONG WESTERN SLOPES AS FORECAST SOUNDINGS ALSO SHOW STRONG INVERSION NEAR 800 MB. EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS SUNDAY BEHIND THE FRONT WILL TRANSPORT COOLER AIR WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES TOMORROW AROUND 10 DEGREES COOLER. MONDAY AND TUESDAY UPPER RIDGE FLATTENS AS IT MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE ROCKIES WHILE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE SURFACE. ATTENDANT SUBSIDENCE WILL SUSTAIN MOSTLY SUNNY DRY WEATHER WITH TEMPERATURES VERY SLOWLY WARMING. TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY WEAK UPPER WAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CWA FROM THE NORTHWEST WITH CONTINENTAL FLOW TRAJECTORIES INDICATING SYSTEM WILL HAVE INADEQUATE LOW AND MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO PRODUCE PRECIP. THUS ONLY HIGH CLOUDS EXPECTED. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY INCREASING ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP WEATHER DRY INTO LATER PERIODS. WESTERLY WINDS WILL CAUSE TEMPS TO RISE TO NEAR 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL SATURDAY BUT LATEST GFS SHOWS ANOTHER COLD FRONT LOWERING TEMPS AROUND 10 DEGREES OR NEAR NORMAL ON SUNDAY. && .AVIATION...VALID 01/00Z-02/00Z. VFR THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH P6SM SKC-SCT250. BKDR FROPA E OF RIO GRANDE ARN 04Z-07Z. WINDS 00Z-06Z 280-340 / 10KTS BECOMING WITH FROPA 03015G25KTS AND G38KTS W SLOPES/PASSES. AFT 18Z WINDS 12012KTS OCNL G 20-25 KTS W SLOPES. GNLY LGT TURBC OVR/NR MTNS TIL 06Z THEN OCNL MDT TURBC WEST SLOPES/CANYONS SFC TO RIDGE LINE. LOCALIZED BLDU WITH FROPA FOR 1-3 HRS. && .FIRE WEATHER... DRY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEKEND INTO MOST OF NEXT WEEK AS AN ACTIVE STORM TRACK STAYS NORTH OF THE BORDERLAND. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL TODAY (ABOUT 8 DEG F). A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT FROM THE NORTH NORTHWEST WILL PUSH EASTERLY WINDS WESTWARD ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT...COOLING TEMPERATURES AROUND 10 DEGREES SUNDAY AND MONDAY TO MORE NORMAL VALUES. THIS BACKDOOR WILL BRIEFLY TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY PROVIDING GUSTY EAST WINDS ON WEST SLOPES/CANYONS WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH AT TIMES. TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB BACK TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE REMAINDER OF NEXT WEEK AS WARMING SOUTHWEST DOWN SLOPE SURFACE WINDS DEVELOP BY THURSDAY. THE MIN RH FIELD WILL RUN IN THE 20% TO 27% RANGE SATURDAY AND 23% TO 33% RANGE SUNDAY. THE HAINES INDEX FOR MANY AREAS WILL RUN HIGH NEAR 5 BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 39 56 30 58 31 / 0 0 0 0 0 SIERRA BLANCA TX 29 48 25 50 17 / 0 0 0 0 0 LAS CRUCES 36 55 27 57 26 / 0 0 0 0 0 ALAMOGORDO 32 54 26 56 28 / 0 0 0 0 0 CLOUDCROFT 24 47 20 47 24 / 0 0 0 0 0 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 34 54 26 56 29 / 0 0 0 0 0 SILVER CITY 33 54 27 54 29 / 0 0 0 0 0 DEMING 33 58 24 60 27 / 0 0 0 0 0 LORDSBURG 34 60 27 62 28 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && 05 ROGASH/20 NOVLAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 432 AM MST SAT DEC 31 2011 NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-011300- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/LOWER GILA REGION-SIERRA COUNTY LAKES REGION- TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS- SOUTHWEST DESERT/BOOTHEEL-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN- SOUTHERN DESERT-EL PASO-HUDSPETH- 432 AM MST SAT DEC 31 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. TEMPERATURES COOLING TO NEAR NORMAL SUNDAY AND MONDAY AND THEN WARMING ABOVE NORMAL TUESDAY AND BEYOND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. HEFNER
7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The entire zone started out in Severe(D2) drought with the far southeastern portion of the zone dropping into Moderate(D1) drought on January 17th. The remainder of the zone remained in Severe drought. The Truth or Consequences Airport reported 0.05 inches of rain for the month which was 0.25 inches below normal.
The entire zone started out the month in Severe(D2) drought and the area improved to Moderate(D1) drought on January 17th. The Cooperative Observer at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces received .75 inches of rain which was 0.34 inches above normal.
The entire zone was in Extreme(D3) drought through the entire month. The Cloudcroft Cooperative Observer reported 0.56 inches of rain which was 0.95 inches below normal.
The entire zone was in Severe(D2) drought for the entire month. The Deming Airport received 0.12 inches of rain which was 0.45 inches below normal.
Southeast Hidalgo County and the far northwest portion of the zone were in Severe(D2) drought through the entire month. The Antelope Wells Cooperative Observer reported 0.54 inches of rain which was 0.18 inches below normal.
The eastern quarter and the extreme western areas of the Gila region were in Severe(D2) drought through the month.
The southeastern portion of the zone was in Exceptional(D4) drought through the month. The drought conditions decreased to Severe(D2) drought over the far western portion of the zone at the beginning of the month and on January 17th was put into Moderate(D1) drought. The Orogrande Cooperative Observer reported 1.64 inches of rain which was 1.19 inches above normal.
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, January 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: 359678, 359681, 359682, 359687, 359714, 359715, 359716.