A dry month of October kept Severe(D2) drought conditions going across Far West El Paso County.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 of October kept Severe(D2) drought conditions going across Far West El Paso 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 Sep 30, 2:10 PM MST, 9 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 310 PM MDT SUN SEP 30 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK DISTURBANCE ALOFT WILL DROP SOUTH OVER PORTIONS OF THE BORDERLAND TONIGHT. SOME SHOWERS OR A THUNDERSTORM ARE POSSIBLE FROM EL PASO EAST TONIGHT. OTHERWISE LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL PERSIST OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST AND GREAT BASIN THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK AHEAD. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. A SERIES OF COOL FRONTS WILL TRY TO PUSH WEST ACROSS THE AREA AFTER THURSDAY SO THE END OF THE WEEK MAY SEE A COOLER PATTERN. && .DISCUSSION... BUILDING RIDGE ALOFT NOW WELL ENTRENCHED OVER THE BAJA PENINSULA UP TO CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA. LOTS OF DAMPENED ENERGY FLOWING OVER THE TOP OF THIS RIDGE AND DOWN THE FRONT SIDE HOWEVER. WV IMAGERY SHOWING A COUPLE OF SHORT WAVES DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS NEW MEXICO. FIRST ONE IS HELPING KICK OFF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SACS WHILE THE SECOND ONE IS AIDING IN CONVECTION OVER NE NEW MEXICO. THESE TWO FEATURES STILL PROGGED TO BE OVER SE NEW MEXICO LATE TONIGHT AND SOUTH OF THE AREA MONDAY MORNING. LOW POPS FOR THE CWA EL PASO EAST LOOK REASONABLE. WEAK SIDE DOOR FRONT ALSO DROPS DOWN TONIGHT...NOT MUCH AFFECT OTHER THAN MAYBE SHAVING A FEW DEGREES OFF MONDAY HIGH TEMPERATURES. OTHERWISE RIDGE WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER FOR MOST OF THIS WEEK. THROUGH WEDNESDAY LITTLE CHANGE WITH FEW OR NO CLOUDS OTHER THAN SOME AFTERNOON MOUNTAIN BUILDUPS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. ON THURSDAY CANADIAN UPPER LOW WILL DIVE DOWN TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THIS WILL PUSH A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT UP TO THE EASTERN CWA. FEATURE ISN'T NEAR AS STRONG AS GFS HAD BEEN SHOWING THE PREVIOUS SEVERAL MODEL RUNS. FOR NOW WILL PUT TOKE POPS IN FOR THE SACS THURSDAY NIGHT AND COOL TEMPERATURES SOME ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. GFS NOW SHOWING A SECOND AND STRONGER FRONT TO PUSH IN SATURDAY NIGHT...BUT WITH THE MODEL UNCERTAINTY AND FORECAST PERIOD ENDING ABOUT THEN WILL NOT INCLUDE THIS FEATURE IN THE FORECAST. && .AVIATION....VALID 01/00Z-02/00Z. A MINOR UPPER IMPULSE WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD THIS EVENING IN EASTERN NMEX. SKY 00Z-10Z: SCT-BKN060-080 WITH ISOLD TCU CB TS EAST OF RIO GRANDE. 10Z-00Z: SKC- FEW-SCT 060-100. GENERAL SFC WINDS NE-SE 5-10 KNOTS...INCREASING TO NE 10-15 KNOTS AFTER 06Z EAST OF RIO GRANDE WITH ISOLD GUSTS 25-30 WEST SOME WEST SLOPES/PASSES. . && .FIRE WEATHER... A WEAK UPPER DISTURBANCE FROM THE NORTH NORTHEAST WILL PASS OVER MAINLY EASTERN NEW MEXICO THIS EVENING...BRINGING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PRIMARILY EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE...AND MAINLY OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY AN ASSOCIATED WEAK BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WHICH WILL ONLY CAUSE A WIND SHIFT ALONG WITH A DEGREE OR TWO OF COOLING MONDAY. AFTER TONIGHT A DRIER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BE FREE OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE COMING WEEK...WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGING 3 TO 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. WESTERLY WINDS WILL BECOME BREEZY TO WINDY BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. NOTE THAT BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AFTERNOON WILL SEE DRYING WITH MIN RH VALUES TRENDING DOWN TOWARD 15% AND WESTERLY SURFACE WINDS BY AFTERNOON GREATER THAN 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH IN SOME LOCATIONS.MIN RH VALUES WILL RUN AROUND 18% TO 28% LOWLANDS AND 25% TO 35% HIGHLANDS SUNDAY AND ABOUT 5% TO 10% LOWER IN THE HIGHLANDS MONDAY. THE HAINES INDEX WILL MOSTLY RANGE IN THE 3 CATEGORY ON SUNDAY AND 2 ON MONDAY FOR MOST AREAS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 61 84 60 86 62 / 10 0 0 0 0 SIERRA BLANCA 53 79 52 82 55 / 10 0 0 0 0 LAS CRUCES 55 83 54 85 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 ALAMOGORDO 55 82 54 84 57 / 10 0 0 0 0 CLOUDCROFT 41 62 43 65 44 / 10 10 0 10 0 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 55 82 54 84 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 SILVER CITY 53 75 54 79 55 / 0 10 0 10 0 DEMING 54 82 53 84 56 / 0 0 0 0 0 LORDSBURG 53 83 53 85 53 / 0 0 0 0 0 WEST EL PASO METRO 62 84 61 86 64 / 10 0 0 0 0 DELL CITY 55 83 54 85 56 / 10 0 0 0 0 FORT HANCOCK 56 85 55 84 57 / 10 0 0 0 0 LOMA LINDA 56 80 56 81 59 / 10 10 0 10 0 FABENS 59 86 58 86 60 / 10 0 0 0 0 SANTA TERESA 59 83 58 85 60 / 0 0 0 0 0 WHITE SANDS HQ 57 82 56 84 59 / 10 10 0 10 0 JORNADA RANGE 52 81 51 83 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 HATCH 54 82 53 84 56 / 0 0 0 0 0 COLUMBUS 55 82 54 84 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 OROGRANDE 58 83 57 85 60 / 10 0 0 0 0 MAYHILL 45 68 47 69 47 / 10 10 0 10 0 MESCALERO 46 71 47 72 48 / 10 10 0 10 0 TIMBERON 47 70 48 71 49 / 10 10 0 10 0 WINSTON 46 74 50 74 52 / 0 10 0 10 0 HILLSBORO 54 81 53 82 57 / 0 10 0 10 0 SPACEPORT 55 80 54 82 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 LAKE ROBERTS 51 79 52 80 54 / 0 10 0 10 0 HURLEY 53 78 54 81 56 / 0 10 0 10 0 CLIFF 42 81 42 83 46 / 0 0 0 0 0 MULE CREEK 42 79 42 80 46 / 0 10 0 10 0 FAYWOOD 52 80 52 81 55 / 0 10 0 10 0 ANIMAS 53 82 51 84 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 HACHITA 52 82 51 84 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 ANTELOPE WELLS 53 84 52 86 55 / 0 0 0 0 0 CLOVERDALE 53 79 53 80 56 / 0 10 0 10 0 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && HEFNER/NOVLAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 1112 AM MDT SUN SEP 30 2012 NMZ401>417-TXZ418>424-011730- 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- 1112 AM MDT SUN SEP 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NM AND TX. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EL PASO EAST THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY HAZARDOUS WEATHER TO THIS OFFICE. HEFNER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe(D2) drought continued across the zone during the month of October.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, 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: 417335.