Severe(D2) drought increased in coverage across Southwest New Mexico during the month of October. Most locations received very little precipitation which helped to worsen the drought across portions of the state.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Severe(D2) drought increased in coverage across Southwest New Mexico during the month of October. Most locations received very little precipitation which helped to worsen the drought across portions of the state.
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 Oct 30, 11:37 AM MST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 1237 PM MDT TUE OCT 30 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED WARM AND DRY WEATHER ACROSS THE BORDERLAND THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. EXPECT WARM DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND SEASONALLY COOL NIGHTS. A COLD FRONT WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA IN TIME FOR THE WEEKEND. A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE AREA SHOULD MOSTLY STAY SOUTH AND EAST OF OUR AREA. && .DISCUSSION... UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BE IN CONTROL FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS... BRINGING CONTINUED DRY AND WARM WEATHER TO THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE RUNNING A SOLID 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. RECORDS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS ARE IN THE UPPER 80S WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THURSDAY WHERE THE RECORD HIGH FOR EL PASO IS 84. RIGHT NOW WE ARE FORECASTING A HIGH OF 81 FOR THURSDAY... BUT THAT WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY DAY FOR REACHING RECORD TERRITORY. WITH DRY AIR IN PLACE AND RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS...EXPECT LARGE DIURNAL TEMPERATURE SWINGS WITH SEASONALLY COOL MINIMUM TEMPERATURES. TYPICAL COLD SPOTS WILL DROP INTO THE 30S AT NIGHT... WHILE THE GILA RIVER VALLEYS IN GRANT COUNTY AND MULE CREEK WILL DROP INTO THE MID/UPPER 20S EACH NIGHT. OTHERWISE...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST A NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WHILE A MUCH WEAKER SOUTHERN STREAM DISTURBANCE MOVES TOWARDS NORTHERN BAJA. A SIDE-DOOR COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE NORTHERN DISTURBANCE WILL DROP INTO OUT AREA FOR SATURDAY... BRINGING COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA. GFS/ECMWF HAS BEEN HINTING AT SOME LIMITED MOISTURE RUNNING OUT AHEAD OF THE SOUTHERN STREAM DISTURBANCE...AND ALLOWING FOR SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS AND PERHAPS ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE SIDE DOOR FRONT...BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THIS MOISTURE WILL STAY SOUTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER SATURDAY...AND EAST OF THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY. WENT AHEAD AND DROPPED POPS BELOW 10 PERCENT IN THE SAT/SUN TIME FRAME. && .AVIATION...VALID 31/00Z-01/00Z. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BRING VFR CONDITIONS WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND WINDS GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 MPH THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .FIRE WEATHER... A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN AND ROCKY MOUNTAINS TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY BRINGING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES...MOSTLY LIGHT WINDS AND DRY WEATHER WITH LOW HUMIDITIES TO THE REGION. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL SUBSEQUENTLY MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THIS WEATHER SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS ALONG WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES. THERE WILL ALSO BE VERY ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BE AROUND 15 TO 25 PERCENT LOWLANDS AND 25 TO 35 PERCENT MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 49 81 47 81 51 / 0 0 0 0 0 SIERRA BLANCA 48 80 50 80 48 / 0 0 0 0 0 LAS CRUCES 44 79 40 78 45 / 0 0 0 0 0 ALAMOGORDO 40 78 39 76 42 / 0 0 0 0 0 CLOUDCROFT 41 60 39 61 39 / 0 0 0 0 0 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 47 79 44 80 45 / 0 0 0 0 0 SILVER CITY 45 73 40 73 42 / 0 0 0 0 0 DEMING 35 81 34 81 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 LORDSBURG 42 80 40 80 43 / 0 0 0 0 0 WEST EL PASO METRO 48 81 49 81 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 DELL CITY 39 78 41 79 44 / 0 0 0 0 0 FORT HANCOCK 50 84 50 84 49 / 0 0 0 0 0 LOMA LINDA 49 75 49 76 47 / 0 0 0 0 0 FABENS 49 82 48 82 51 / 0 0 0 0 0 SANTA TERESA 44 79 44 80 49 / 0 0 0 0 0 WHITE SANDS HQ 48 79 46 78 48 / 0 0 0 0 0 JORNADA RANGE 33 79 34 78 35 / 0 0 0 0 0 HATCH 38 77 37 77 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 COLUMBUS 44 80 40 80 47 / 0 0 0 0 0 OROGRANDE 47 79 42 78 48 / 0 0 0 0 0 MAYHILL 43 69 40 70 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 MESCALERO 37 68 36 69 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 TIMBERON 39 66 39 67 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 WINSTON 37 73 39 74 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 HILLSBORO 46 73 49 77 42 / 0 0 0 0 0 SPACEPORT 42 78 43 77 43 / 0 0 0 0 0 LAKE ROBERTS 35 76 35 76 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 HURLEY 40 78 35 77 38 / 0 0 0 0 0 CLIFF 27 82 26 81 29 / 0 0 0 0 0 MULE CREEK 24 77 24 75 27 / 0 0 0 0 0 FAYWOOD 41 75 37 76 38 / 0 0 0 0 0 ANIMAS 38 80 38 79 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 HACHITA 39 81 37 80 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 ANTELOPE WELLS 37 82 38 80 39 / 0 0 0 0 0 CLOVERDALE 38 77 39 77 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && 25-HARDIMAN / 05-ROGASH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 600 AM MDT TUE OCT 30 2012 NMZ401>417-TXZ418>424-311200- 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 MDT TUE OCT 30 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. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MAINTAIN SUNNY SKIES...LIGHT WINDS AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER PATTERN WITH DRY AND MILD CONDITIONS THROUGH THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT TO THE EAST ALLOWING A SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER THE AREA ON FRIDAY...RESULTING IN INCREASED MID AND HIGH CLOUDINESS AND INCREASED WIND SPEEDS. THE SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE STATE ON SATURDAY AND LINGER IN THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF EL PASO SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. LUNDEEN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The zone went from Moderate(D1) to Severe(D2) drought on October 30. The town of Winston only received 0.04 inches of rain which was 1.05 inches below normal.
This area was in Moderate(D1) drought through much of the month, but was put into Severe(D2) drought on October 30. The Cooperative Observer in Faywood received only 0.02 inches of rain which was 1.08 inches below normal.
The entire zone was in Moderate(D1) drought through the month until October 30 when it was put into Severe(D2) drought. The Hillsboro Cooperative Observer reported only 0.02 inches which was 1.13 inches below normal.
Moderate(D1) drought continued through much of the month, but on October 30, the area was put into Severe(D2) drought. The Truth or Consequences ASOS only reported 0.02 inches of rain which was 0.91 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, October 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: 417322, 417323, 417324, 417327.