A dry month helped to prolong the drought conditions across Southwest New Mexico with exceptional drought conditions remaining across Eastern Otero County.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
A dry month helped to prolong the drought conditions across Southwest New Mexico with exceptional drought conditions remaining across Eastern Otero County.
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 Feb 29, 1:43 PM MST, 10 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 143 PM MST WED FEB 29 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A COUPLE OF WINDY DAYS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE BORDERLAND FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS A BROAD UPPER TROUGH MOVES ACROSS THE ROCKIES. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S FOR THURSDAY BEFORE DROPPING INTO THE 50S BY SATURDAY ON THE BACK SIDE OF A COLD FRONT. TEMPERATURES WILL REBOUND AND WINDS BECOME LIGHT FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN BY TUESDAY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S. && .DISCUSSION... VERY LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN MODELS WITH MAIN SYNOPTIC FEATURES OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT WEEK. WINDS WILL BECOME WESTERLY TOMORROW AHEAD OF THE NEXT TROUGH THAT WILL BE MOVING ACROSS THE ROCKIES THU/FRI. ENERGY WILL REMAIN NORTH OF AREA...BUT THAT JUST MEANS A COUPLE OF WINDY DAYS AHEAD FOR THE BORDERLAND. AT THIS TIME LOOKS LIKE WINDS WILL REMAIN JUST BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA THU WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AREAS FROM NEAR KDMN WEST. FOR NOW KEPT WINDS IN THE 20-25KT RANGE AND AROUND 20KTS EAST. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S ACROSS THE LOWLANDS WHICH WILL HELP TO CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. COOLER AIR WILL BE MOVING IN ON FRI BEHIND FRONT WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S. AGAIN WINDS WILL BE STRONG...AND LOOKS LIKE A BETTER CHANCE FOR ADVISORY CRITERIA WINDS...ESPECIALLY SOUTHERN HALF OF CWA. NORTH-NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE AREA INTO EARLY SAT WHICH WILL KEEP COLD AIR ADVECTION CONTINUING. EXPECT HIGHS TO ONLY BE IN THE 50S TO NEAR 60 WITH THE WARMEST TEMPS FAR WEST. WARMER AIR WILL BE RETURNING STARTING SUN AND CONTINUING THROUGH WED AS UPPER RIDGE MOVES OVER REGION AND THEN A WEST-SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT SETS UP ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO BE IN THE 70S BY TUESDAY ACROSS THE LOWLANDS OF THE CWA. LIGHT WINDS EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY WITH BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS RETURNING FOR TUE AND WED. && .AVIATION...VALID 01/00Z-02/00Z. VFR CONDTS EXPECTED FOR ALL TERMINALS AND ROUTES THROUGH PD AT LEAST THROUGH 18Z. SCT-BKN CI 200-250 MSL. SFC WINDS 00Z-18Z: 230-270/08KT. APPROACHING UPPER AIR TROF AND ASSOCIATED PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES THU INTO FRI INCREASING SFC WINDS AFT 18Z: 25023G30KT WITH PY AREAS OF LOCAL BLDU. LOW LVL TURBC INCREASING ESPLY OVR/NR MTNS EAST SLOPES WITH SCT TO BKN 150-250. && .FIRE WEATHER... RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM MST THURSDAY. DRY ZONAL FLOW WITH LIGHTER SURFACE WINDS COMPARED TO YESTERDAY ALONG WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE ON TAP TODAY. ANOTHER FAIR ANOTHER STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND IT'S ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES THURSDAY. STRONG UPPER LEVEL WINDS WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A TIGHT SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO. THESE WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES AND LOW HUMIDITIES TO PRODUCE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. BREEZY AND COOLER BEHIND THE FRONT WILL PREVAIL ON FRIDAY. HUMIDITIES SHOULD BE ABOVE CRITICAL VALUES TO PRECLUDE RED FLAG CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME. MIN RH VALUES WILL RANGE FROM 10% TO 15% LOWLANDS AND 15% TO 20% HIGHLANDS TODAY AND ABOUT 5% LOWER OVERALL ALL AREAS THURSDAY. THE HAINES INDEX WILL RANGE IN THE 4 TO 6 CATEGORY TODAY AND 3 TO 5 CATEGORY ON THURSDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 44 74 50 66 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 SIERRA BLANCA 39 72 40 63 33 / 0 0 0 0 0 LAS CRUCES 38 73 43 65 32 / 0 0 0 0 0 ALAMOGORDO 39 70 42 59 27 / 0 0 0 0 0 CLOUDCROFT 29 52 29 39 15 / 0 0 0 0 0 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 35 72 37 59 27 / 0 0 0 0 0 SILVER CITY 37 59 33 49 24 / 0 0 0 0 0 DEMING 28 69 35 60 27 / 0 0 0 0 0 LORDSBURG 32 67 37 58 26 / 0 0 0 0 0 WEST EL PASO METRO 42 74 48 65 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 DELL CITY 32 75 35 67 27 / 0 0 0 0 0 FORT HANCOCK 40 79 42 72 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 LOMA LINDA 37 69 42 60 31 / 0 0 0 0 0 FABENS 41 75 47 68 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 SANTA TERESA 35 74 42 66 32 / 0 0 0 0 0 WHITE SANDS HQ 40 72 46 63 33 / 0 0 0 0 0 JORNADA RANGE 28 72 33 62 20 / 0 0 0 0 0 HATCH 30 70 36 61 23 / 0 0 0 0 0 COLUMBUS 35 72 41 63 31 / 0 0 0 0 0 OROGRANDE 37 73 45 64 33 / 0 0 0 0 0 MAYHILL 32 60 35 47 20 / 0 0 0 0 0 MESCALERO 29 60 32 45 19 / 0 0 0 0 0 TIMBERON 31 62 34 51 22 / 0 0 0 0 0 WINSTON 29 60 31 48 20 / 0 0 0 0 0 HILLSBORO 35 64 36 51 25 / 0 0 0 0 0 SPACEPORT 32 69 36 59 26 / 0 0 0 0 0 LAKE ROBERTS 23 56 27 52 17 / 0 0 0 0 0 HURLEY 31 63 33 54 19 / 0 0 0 0 0 CLIFF 26 68 30 57 19 / 0 0 0 0 0 MULE CREEK 27 62 28 54 19 / 0 0 0 0 0 FAYWOOD 32 64 34 54 22 / 0 0 0 0 0 ANIMAS 34 72 38 64 26 / 0 0 0 0 0 HACHITA 28 72 32 64 24 / 0 0 0 0 0 ANTELOPE WELLS 35 71 40 66 28 / 0 0 0 0 0 CLOVERDALE 33 65 37 60 25 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...RED FLAG WARNING FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM MST THURSDAY FOR NMZ111-112. TX...RED FLAG WARNING FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM MST THURSDAY FOR TXZ055-056. && 26/20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 600 AM MST WED FEB 29 2012 NMZ401>417-TXZ418>424-011315- UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY-SOUTHERN GILA HIGHLANDS/BLACK RANGE- SOUTHERN GILA FOOTHILLS/MIMBRES VALLEY- SOUTHWEST DESERT/LOWER GILA RIVER VALLEY-LOWLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL- UPLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN- EASTERN BLACK RANGE FOOTHILLS-SIERRA COUNTY LAKES- NORTHERN DONA ANA COUNTY-SOUTHERN DONA ANA COUNTY/MESILLA VALLEY- CENTRAL TULAROSA BASIN-SOUTHERN TULAROSA BASIN- WEST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET- SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 7500 FEET- EAST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET-OTERO MESA- WESTERN EL PASO COUNTY-EASTERN/CENTRAL EL PASO COUNTY- NORTHERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS/HUECO MOUNTAINS-SALT BASIN- SOUTHERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS- RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF EASTERN EL PASO/WESTERN HUDSPETH COUNTIES- RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF EASTERN HUDSPETH COUNTY- 600 AM MST WED FEB 29 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NM AND TX. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY EXPECT A RETURN TO WINDY CONDITIONS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...WITH BLOWING DUST POSSIBLE EACH DAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. TRIPOLI
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The far eastern and northern portions of the Tularosa Basin remained in Severe(D2) drought through the entire month. The Cooperative Observer at Tularosa received 0.14 inches of rain which was 0.29 inches below normal.
Most of the eastern slopes of the Sacramento Mountains were in Extreme(D3) drought with just the far southeastern portion of the zone in Exceptional(D4) drought.
The entire zone remained in Severe(D2) drought through the month of March. The Cooperative Observer at Hillsboro reported just 0.08 inches of rain for the month which was 0.30 inches below normal.
Southern and eastern portions of the bootheel remained in Severe(D2) drought through the month. The Cooperative Observer in Antelope Wells reported 0.15 inches of rain which was 0.23 inches below normal.
Most of the Otero Mesa was in Exceptional(D4) drought through the month except the far southwest corner where it remained Extreme(D3) drought.
The entire zone was in Extreme(D3) drought throughout the month of March. The Cooperative Observer in Cloudcroft received 0.82 inches of precipitation while the average for March is 1.35 inches.
Western and northern portions of the Sierra County Lakes zone were in Severe(D2) drought through the month. The Truth of Consequences Airport received 0.20 inches of rain for the month which was 0.07 inches below normal.
The entire zone was in Severe(D2) drought through the month of March. The Cooperative Observer at Faywood reported 0.08 inches of rain which was 0.30 inches below normal.
Far Western Sierra County and Far Eastern Grant County were in Severe(D2) drought through the month of March.
With the exception of far western portions of the Tularosa Basin which was in Moderate(D1) drought, the remainder of the zone ranged from Severe(D2) drought west to Extreme(D3) drought east. The Cooperative Observer at Orogrande received 0.60 inches of rain which was 0.25 inches above normal.
Only the far northwestern corner of Hidalgo and extreme Southwestern Grant County were in Severe(D2) drought through the month. The Cooperative Observer in Lordsburg reported 0.59 inches of precipitation which was just 0.04 inches below normal.
Except for the far northeast corner of Luna County, the remainder of the zone was in Severe(D2) drought through the month of March. The Deming ASOS reported only 0.04 inches of precipitation for the month which was 0.23 inches below normal.
The entire zone was in Extreme(D3) drought through the month. The Cooperative Observer in Mountain Park reported 0.40 inches of precipitation for the month which was 0.57 inches below 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, March 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: 367870, 367872, 367873, 367874, 367880, 367881, 367885, 367888, 367890, 367893, 367894, 367895, 367899.