Strong winds aloft moved over northern and central New Mexico within the base of a large scale upper level trough over the western United States. These winds mixed to the surface in localized areas along and immediately east of the northern mountains where high wind gusts were reported during the predawn hours through the early afternoon.
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.
Strong winds aloft moved over northern and central New Mexico within the base of a large scale upper level trough over the western United States. These winds mixed to the surface in localized areas along and immediately east of the northern mountains where high wind gusts were reported during the predawn hours through the early afternoon. Elsewhere...widespread windy conditions were reported throughout the day.
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 Apr 13, 10:38 PM MST, 2 hours 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1138 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ROCKIES WHILE THE POLAR JET STREAM CROSSES CO AND NORTHERN NM. WESTERLY 700 MB WINDS WILL PEAK FROM 45-65 KT FROM 06-15Z WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MTNS AROUND SUNRISE. WSW SFC WINDS SHOULD BRIEFLY WEAKEN IN MOST LOCATIONS FOR A FEW HOURS AFTER SUNSET...THEN RESTRENGTHEN AFTER MIDNIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS WINDS ALOFT STRENGTHEN. SFC WINDS WILL PEAK IN STRENGTH SUNDAY FROM 30-50 KT...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS FAVORING THE NORTHERN MTNS AND THE NE AND E CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AND PLAINS. AN AVIATION WEATHER WARNING FOR WIND GUSTS OVER 34 KT IS LOOKING MORE PROBABLE AT KABQ. ALSO...THERE COULD BE A FEW SPOTTY SHOWERS IN THE N MTNS NEAR THE CO BORDER TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. 44 && .PREV DISCUSSION...627 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013... HAVE REMOVED POPS FROM MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA EXCEPT THE SE ZONES...AND WILL ONLY CARRY POPS THROUGH EARLY EVENING...9 PM. DID EXPAND SLIGHTLY THE ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS FOR LATE TONIGHT. ZONES OUT SHORTLY. CHJ .PREV DISCUSSION...335 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013... WIND IS THE THING FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AND EVEN SOME HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA SPEEDS ARE IN THE PICTURE AS STRONG WINDS ALOFT...STRONG VERTICAL MIXING AND A HEALTHY SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT ALL GANG UP ON OUR FCST AREA TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. SOME OF THE STRONGEST MID LEVEL WINDS LOOK TO BE TONIGHT AND SUN MORN...AND AGAIN MON NIGHT...ACROSS THE N HALF OF FCST AREA...WHERE WESTERLY WIND SPEEDS REACH BETWEEN 50 AND 65 MPH AND PERHAPS EVEN CLOSE TO 70 MPH VICINITY OF THE E SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS. THUS HIGH WIND WATCH ISSUED EARLIER FOR THE VICINITY OF SANGRE DE CRISTOS FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO SUN HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A WARNING AND SURROUNDING THAT SOME WIND ADVISORIES ALSO ISSUED. FIRE WEATHER WATCHES AND RED FLAG WARNINGS ALSO CONTINUED OR UPGRADED. DETAILS ON THOSE PRODUCTS CAN BE FOUND IN THE NPW AND RFW PRODUCTS ISSUED THIS AFTN...WHILE EXACT ZONES AND TIMES CAN BE FOUND AT END OF THIS GROUP OF DISCUSSIONS. WINDS WILL NOT SUBSIDE A GREAT DEAL REALLY UNTIL WED AND EVEN THAT WILL BE MAINLY ACROSS THE N AREAS. THAT WILL BE WHEN THE SLOW MOVING AND SOMEWHAT DIGGING TROUGH FINALLY ACTUALLY GETS INTO THE STATE. IT STILL LOOKS TO BE A MAJOR DISSAPOINTMENT INSOFAR AS BRING A HEALTHY DOSE OF VERY BADLY NEEDED PCPN TO THE STATE. CURRENTLY LOOKS TO BRING JUST LIGHT TO LOCALLY MODERATE AMTS OF PCPN TO N QUARTER OR PERHAPS N THIRD OF NM...AND THAT EVEN SHOULD BE MAINLY CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN...PERHAPS A FEW INCHES OF SNOW UP HIGH. IF A BACK DOOR FRONT CAN PENETRATE FAR ENOUGH INTO THE NE THIRD OF THE STATE TO BRING SOME DECENT UPSLOPE FLOW E OF THE SANGRES THAT AREA MAY END UP BENEFITTING THE MOST LATER WED AND WED NIGHT. THEREAFTER THROUGH AT LEAST THE TUE AFTER NEXT THERE IS VERY LITTLE TO NO HOPE OF BENEFICIAL AMOUNTS OF PCPN FOR OUR AREA. THE TOO LITTLE RAIN PAIN CONTINUES. 43 .FIRE WEATHER... ...RED FLAG WARNING CONTINUES THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND PLAINS... ...RED FLAG WARNING FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING FOR ALL BUT THE NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN EASTWARD...THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS... CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER OUTLOOK...RED FLAG CONDITIONS OVER ALL BUT THE NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS SUNDAY...AND OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL...EASTERN...AND SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO MONDAY AND TUESDAY. MODELS...IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE WORK WEEK...UPCOMING WEEKEND...AND INTO MONDAY OF THE FOLLOWING WORK WEEK. TROUGH ALOFT SWEEPING ACROSS NEW MEXICO THROUGH THIS EVENING AS NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT STRENGTHENS RAPIDLY IN CIRCULATION ABOUT STRENGTHENING STORM SYSTEM OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. UPSTREAM DISTURBANCE MOVING OVER VANCOUVER ISLAND ON THE WEST COAST OF CANADA WILL DIG RAPIDLY TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ON TUESDAY...WITH NEW MEXICO WINDS BACKING STEADILY TO SOUTHWEST AND INCREASING SPEED THROUGH MIDWEEK. TROUGH WILL DRIFT EAST TO THE FOUR CORNERS EARLY WEDNESDAY AND INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS ON THURSDAY TO LEAVE NEW MEXICO IN GUSTY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. TROUGH AMPLIFYING OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. FRIDAY MORNING FROM EASTERN COLORADO ACROSS NEW MEXICO TO BAJA CALIFORNIA WILL MOVE RAPIDLY ACROSS THE STATE BY FRIDAY EVENING...SETTING UP ANOTHER WEEKEND OF GUSTY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. WINDS BACKING AND DECREASING HEADING INTO MONDAY AS WEAK BAGGY SHORTWAVE AMPLIFIES OVER THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST AS THE WORK WEEK GETS UNDERWAY. OVERNIGHT...WIND SPEEDS OVER THE SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE...RATON RIDGE...AND THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS WILL BECOME STRONG AND GUSTY OVERNIGHT...AS LEADING EDGE OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST SHORTWAVE CLIPS THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE STATE AND SPEEDS UP WIND SPEEDS ALOFT. ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW WILL DEEPEN RAPIDLY OVER EASTERN COLORADO AS COLD FRONT STRETCHES OUT FROM SOUTHERN NEVADA EASTWARD ALONG THE NORTHERN BORDER OF NEW MEXICO. FAIR HUMIDITY RECOVERIES OVERNIGHT...WITH SOME POOR RECOVERIES ALONG THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND EASTERN SLOPES AND ADJACENT PLAINS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. FOR SUNDAY...SURFACE LOW REMAINING DEEP AND SHIFTING SOUTH INTO NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO. STRONG...TURBULENT AND GUSTY WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL MIX RAPIDLY TO THE SURFACE SUNDAY MORNING TO BRING WINDY CONDITIONS TO MUCH OF NEW MEXICO THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. HUMIDITIES FALLING BACK TO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND LOW TEENS PCT SUNDAY AFTERNOON WILL SET UP BROAD AREA OF RED FLAG CONDITIONS FOR ALL BUT THE NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...WHERE SNOW COVER AND SOMEWHAT ELEVATED HUMIDITIES WILL LOCALIZE DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO WINDIER LOWER SLOPES. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES 5 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL IN THE EAST...AND 3 TO 8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL IN THE WEST. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE OVER THE SUMMITS AND HIGHER SLOPES OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON WITH WETTING RAINS ELUSIVE WITH LITTLE MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. NO VENTILATION ISSUES...WITH FAIR HUMIDITY RECOVERIES OVERNIGHT...TRENDING TOWARD GOOD OVER THE NORTH...AND TOWARD POOR OVER THE SOUTH. FOR MONDAY...FLOW ALOFT BACKING A FEW MORE POINTS TO REMAIN SOUTHWEST TO ZONAL BY LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON. SURFACE TROUGH CONTINUES TO SPRAWL FROM SOUTHERN NEVADA ALONG THE NORTHERN BORDER OF NEW MEXICO TO EASTERN COLORADO...WITH SOME SOUTHWARD SPILLAGE OF COOLER AIR INTO THE NORTHEAST PLAINS LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES REMAINING BROADLY ABOVE NORMAL...UP TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL IN THE EXTREME EAST. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL SET UP WIDESPREAD WINDY CONDITIONS WITH HIGHEST SPEEDS FROM THE ARIZONA LINE TO THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...AND OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...EASTERN SLOPES...AND ADJACENT EASTERN PLAINS THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. SOME HUMIDITY IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WEST AND NORTH WILL SHIFT RED FLAG CONDITIONS TO THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF NEW MEXICO...GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 25 THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. WITH COLD FRONT FESTOONED ALONG THE NORTHERN BORDER...ISOLATED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WILL EXPAND OUT OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS INTO THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND ADJACENT NORTHEAST PLAINS THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...WITH LITTLE CHANCE FOR WETTING RAINS IN CONTINUED DRY PATTERN. NO VENTILATION ISSUES...WITH GENERALLY FAIR HUMIDITY RECOVERIES MONDAY NIGHT. FOR TUESDAY...GUSTY FLOW BACKING TO SOUTHWEST ACROSS NEW MEXICO...AS TROUGH BASE SETS UP OVER NEVADA...AND COLD FRONT FROM DENVER TO TUCSON BEGINS EASTWARD SWEEP ACROSS NEW MEXICO. ANOTHER ROUND OF SOUTHWEST GUSTS ON TAP...AS SURFACE LOW ASSOCIATE WITH THE TROUGH DEEPENS RAPIDLY OVER EAST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. UP SLOPE COMPONENT AS EASTERN WINDS BACK TO SOUTHEAST WILL BOOST SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES OVER THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE STATE...WITH SOME ISOLATED SHOWER COVERAGE REACHING INTERSTATE 40 NEAR THE TEXAS BORDER. BEST CHANCES FOR WETTING RAINFALL WILL BE CLOSEST TO THE COLORADO BORDER WITH A LITTLE MORE MOISTURE IN THE COLUMN THAN HAD BEEN SEEN IN PREVIOUS DAY. WITH TUESDAY WINDS AS THE COLD FRONT SWEEPS EAST...CONTINUED SINGLE DIGIT AND LOW TEEN PCT MINIMUM HUMIDITIES SOUTH AND EAST WILL SET UP ANOTHER AFTERNOON OF RED FLAG CONDITIONS OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN NEW MEXICO...AND WILL ANTICIPATE A FIRE WEATHER WATCH DUPLICATING THAT OF MONDAY WILL BE HOISTED IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FAIR HUMIDITY RECOVERIES TUESDAY NIGHT...APPROACHING GOOD FOR THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST WITH COOLER AIR MOVING THROUGH. OUTLOOK...WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...TROUGH AXIS NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS WEDNESDAY WILL MOVE TO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE THURSDAY...AS BLAST OF MUCH COLDER AIR THAT HAD BEEN LOCKED UP NORTH OF THE MULTI DAY SURFACE TROUGH ALONG THE NORTHERN BORDER OF NEW MEXICO ROARS SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE STATE. DOUBLE DIGIT DROPS IN DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY WILL PUSH MOST POINTS TO 10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW MID APRIL NORMALS WITH FREEZING TEMPERATURES MOVING ACROSS INTERSTATE 40 IN THE EAST...AND REMAINING WIDESPREAD OVER THE NORTH AND EAST. THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY SHOULD STAY A LITTLE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK WEDNEDSAY NIGHT. GENTLE WARMING TREND THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH BROAD NORTHWEST FLOW OVER NEW MEXICO INTERRUPTED BY AMPLIFYING TROUGH MOVING SOUTH AND EAST ACROSS THE STATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. WEAKENED SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL EASE WIND SPEEDS THROUGH LAST HALF OF THE WORK WEEK...BUT CONTINUED DRY CONDITIONS WITH SINGLE DIGIT AND LOW TEENS PCT MINIMUM HUMIDITIES ACROSS THE SOUTH...AND ONLY MARGINALLY BETTER OVER THE NORTH THROUGH THE LAST OF THE WORK WEEK. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WEDNESDAY MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40...SHIFTING TO THE EASTERN PLAINS WEDNEDSAY NIGHT...AND REDUCING COVERAGE TO THE NORTHEAST ON THURSDAY. NO SHOWERS IN FOR FRIDAY IN WAKE OF TROUGH PASSAGE. SHY && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TO 8 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ101-103>109. FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ103-104-106>109. WIND ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TO 8 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ506-518-521-522-524-528-532-534. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 6 AM TO 8 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ523-529-533. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ512>515. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ510-527. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 521 AM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 NMZ501>540-141200- 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- 521 AM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR THE NORTHEASTERN PLAINS AND NORTHEASTERN HIGHLANDS OF NEW MEXICO WHERE LOW HUMIDITIES COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. A FEW STRAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY BRIEF AND ERRATIC WIND GUSTS TODAY...MOSTLY ALONG AND JUST EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A PERIOD OF WINDY AND DRY WEATHER WILL QUICKLY UNFOLD SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT MUCH OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO EACH DAY WITH PERIODIC BOUTS OF LOW HUMIDITY CREATING CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. SOME STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS ON SUNDAY...AND PERHAPS AGAIN ON MONDAY. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY STRONG WINDS OF 50 MPH OR GREATER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE AT 1.888.386.7637 OR VIA THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/ABQ. 52
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Raton ASOS reported sustained winds between 40 and 46 mph throughout the period.
Raton ASOS reported peak wind gusts between 58 and 64 mph throughout the hour.
A 12 inch diameter tree fell onto a car in Pecos, NM. Little damage visible to vehicle.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2013
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: 435162, 435163, 435164.