A very strong backdoor cold front powered across the eastern plains of New Mexico during the late evening and overnight hours of April 22nd into April 23rd. As the front continued southward the winds spread over the east central and southeast plains into the overnight hours.
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.
A very strong backdoor cold front powered across the eastern plains of New Mexico during the late evening and overnight hours of April 22nd into April 23rd. As the front continued southward the winds spread over the east central and southeast plains into the overnight hours. Most areas reached only wind advisory criteria while a couple sites located in the far northeast and east hit high wind speeds for a couple hours. Areas of reduced visibilities in blowing dust were also noted with this feature.
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 22, 5:07 PM MST, 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 607 PM MDT MON APR 22 2013 .AVIATION... 00Z TAF CYCLE TWO STRONG WIND FIELDS WILL PRESENT SOME CONCERNS FOR AVIATION... THE FIRST...STRONG MAINLY WEST WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 KTS TIL ABOUT 02 TO 03Z AND SECONDLY...STRONG N TO NE WINDS OF 20 TO JUST OVER 30 KTS AND GUSTING BETWEEN 35 AND 45 KTS BEHIND A STRONG BACK DOOR BARRELLING SOUTH AND WEST THROUGH THE EVENING ACROSS THE EAST HALF OF NM. MOST OF THE TAF SITES WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE FORMER...WHILE TCC AND LVS WILL BEGIN TO SEE THE STRONG N TO NE WINDS BETWEEN 0230 AND 0430 TONIGHT AND CONTINUING FOR SEVERAL HOURS THEREAFTER. SAF AND ABQ SHOULD BEGIN TO FEEL STRONG EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS BETWEEN 0530Z AND 08Z TONIGHT. THERE WILL BE SOME BLOWING DUST REDUCING VSBY TO MVFR AND EVEN IFR LEVELS MAINLY BEHIND THE BACK DOOR FRONT UNTIL SPEEDS DROP BELOW ROUGHLY 25 KTS. ALSO 2 OR 3 HOURS AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE CIGS TO LOWER TO MVFR LEVELS ACROSS AREAS EAST OF CENTRAL MT CHAIN. LESS POST FRONTAL WIND AFTER ABOUT 13Z AT THE LATEST...AND CIGS SHOULD RISE ABOVE MVFR LEVELS AFTER 17 OR 18Z TUE. 43 && .PREV DISCUSSION...325 PM MDT MON APR 22 2013... BREEZY TO WINDY AND WARM THIS AFTERNOON...WITH A NORTHWEST WIND AT RATON AND CLAYTON AND THE FRONT JUST PLOWING INTO PUB AND LHX WITH CURRENT GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH...ALTHOUGH A PK WND NEAR 60 MPH AT LHX WAS NOTED AS THE FRONT HIT. EXPANDED THE WIND ADVY EARLIER TODAY TO COVER THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR FROM THE GLORIETA AREA TO RATON PASS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL IMPACT TRAVEL AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND MAY BE COMBINED WITH BLOWING SNOW NEAR THE COLORADO BORDER. ALTHOUGH AMOUNTS MAY ONLY BE AN INCH OR TWO...HIGHWAYS 64/87 AND 56 MAY BE IMPACTED BY CROSS WINDS AS WELL AS VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS...AND WIND CHILLS FALLING INTO THE TEENS LATE TONIGHT. SNOWFALL OVER THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MTS MAY BE MORE LIKELY TUESDAY AS A WEAK UPPER DISTURBANCE PASSES OVER THE REGION. MODELS PAINT A 2 TO 4 INCH BULLEYE WITH SOME HIGHER AMTS NEAR THE CO BORDER. GUIDANCE INDICATING ANOTHER ROUND OF FREEZING TEMPERATURES TONIGHT FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40 AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN. HAVE GONE AHEAD AND ISSUED A FREEZE/HARD FREEZE WARNING FOR THIS REGION. TIMING MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED BY EVENING SHIFT DEPENDING HOW RAPIDLY TEMPS FALL FROM THE LOFTY 77 AT CAO AND 89 AT TCC RIGHT NOW. MODELS IN BETTER AGREEMENT BRINGING AT LEAST A FEW HOURS OF AN EAST WIND INTO THE RGV AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...AND THEN AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT AS A REINFORCING PUSH OF HIGH PRESSURE IS NOTED. FREEZE WARNINGS MAY AGAIN BE NEEDED TUESDAY NIGHT FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHEAST/EAST CENTRAL AND PERHAPS UPPER RGV. ANY EAST WIND WILL MAKE FREEZING TEMPS IN THE RGV TRICKY. THE UPPER LOW FORECAST TO MOVE IN FROM THE WEST THURSDAY STILL WEAKENS CONSIDERABLY AS IT CROSSES THE STATE. STILL POSSIBLE FOR SOME DRYLINE ACTIVITY ALTHOUGH THE NAM IS NOT AS UNSTABLE AS THE GFS...AND TENDS TO INDICATE SOME ISOLD THUNDER POSSIBLE OVER THE CENTRAL AND WRN HIGH TERRAIN. THEREAFTER A GENERALLY W-NWLY FLOW PATTERN WITH SOME DRYLINE ACTIVITY JUST TO OUR EAST IN TX. HIGHS FINALLY WARM TO AVERAGE OR ABOVE IN THE EAST BY FRI/SAT. .FIRE WEATHER... CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER GROWTH CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AROUND SUNSET ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA. A BIT MORE HIT AND MISS AS IT CONCERNS WIND SPEEDS BUT WITH THE SINGLE DIGIT RH VALUES...HIGH HAINES AND VERY HIGH MIXING HEIGHTS...GOING TO LEAVE THE WARNING RUNNING THROUGH REST OF TODAY. WILL CHANGE THE END TIME FOR THE RFW PRODUCT TO 8 PM VERSUS ORIGINAL 9 PM. WINDS WILL DECOUPLE AROUND SUNSET PRETTY QUICKLY. BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL SCREAM INTO THE EASTERN PLAINS RIGHT AROUND SUNSET IF NOT SLIGHTLY EARLIER. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL INCREASE AS A RESULT OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. GAP WINDS ALONG THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN WILL ALSO INCREASE LATER TONIGHT...STARTING WITH THE GAPS NEAR TAOS AND SANTA FE LATE EVENING...FOLLOWED BY ALBUQUERQUE AND THE REST OF THE GAPS FURTHER SOUTH. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT GAP WIND COULD COME TUESDAY NIGHT. THE DRIER AIRMASS WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE WEST. RECOVERIES TONIGHT WILL BE QUITE VARIED WITH GOOD READINGS EAST...MIX OF POOR TO MODERATE CENTRAL AND GENERALLY POOR WEST...ESPECIALLY SOUTHWEST. A FEW SHOWERS SHOULD ALSO INCREASE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST TONIGHT. MAIN TROUGH PASSAGE EXPECTED ON TUESDAY WITH SOME WETTING PRECIPITATION POSSIBILITIES ACROSS THE NORTHEAST...ESPECIALLY EAST SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS. MIXING HEIGHTS WILL REMAIN HIGH ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL AREAS. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL RISE PRETTY MUCH ACROSS THE BOARD BUT STILL REMAIN FAIRLY LOW WESTERN AND CENTRAL AREAS. MUCH HIGHER EAST. WINDS WILL ALSO BE GUSTY WESTERN AND CENTRAL AREAS BUT NOT AS STRONG AS OBSERVED TODAY. WEDNESDAY LOOKS TO BE AN IN BETWEEN DAY AS RIDGING DEVELOPS AHEAD OF THE BAJA CLOSED LOW. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL LOWER ACROSS THE EAST. HAINES OF 6 PROJECTED FOR THE WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS INCLUDING THE MAGDALENAS. NO ISSUES WITH VENTILATION MAJORITY OF THE AREA. FLOW WILL TURN SOUTH/SOUTHWEST AND EVEN SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE EAST. NOT LOOKING AT ANYTHING TOO STRONG AT THIS TIME. MODELS SHEAR THE UPPER LOW ACROSS NEW MEXICO THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. SUSPECT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT SOME HIGHER BASED SHOWERS AND STORMS OR DRIER STORMS WEST AND PERHAPS SOME DRYLINE THUNDERSTORMS EAST. MODELS SEEM TO BE A LITTLE BIT AT ODDS WITH MOISTURE TRANSPORT FROM THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST. DECIDED TO BUMP UP DEWPOINTS ABOVE GUIDANCE LEVELS ACROSS EASTERN AREAS ON THURSDAY. THE UPPER WIND FLOW WILL ALSO INCREASE AND CREATE PERHAPS A PRETTY DYNAMIC WEATHER DAY WITH WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS. IF THE TRACK OF THE LOW CHANGES THEN LOOK FOR THE HUMIDITY AND WIND FORECAST TO CHANGE. PUT CONFIDENCE IN THE MODERATE RANGE AT THIS TIME. ECMWF STILL HANGS A BIT OF PRECIPITATION BACK ACROSS THE NORTHEAST ON FRIDAY WHILE THE GFS RAPIDLY DRIES CONDITIONS OUT. THUS SOME UNCERTAINTY THERE BUT WINDS DONT APPEAR TO BE ALL THAT STRONG AT THIS TIME. DRIER AND WARMER FOR THE WEEKEND BASED ON GFS AND ECMWF TRENDS. 50 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ101-103>108. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM MDT TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ527>538. FREEZE WARNING FROM 3 AM TO 10 AM MDT TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ523-532>534. HARD FREEZE WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM MDT TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ528>531. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 603 AM MDT MON APR 22 2013 CORRECTED TIMING OF SNOW IN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS NMZ501>540-231215- 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- 603 AM MDT MON APR 22 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM MID MORNING THROUGH EARLY EVENING ALONG AND EAST OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO...SANDIA AND MANZANO MOUNTAINS WHERE LOW HUMIDITIES COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL USHER NORTH NORTHEAST WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE EASTERN PLAINS TONIGHT. IN ADDITION...AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BRING SNOW MAINLY TO LOCATIONS ALONG AND EAST OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND NEAR THE COLORADO BORDER. BY LATE TUESDAY...AMOUNTS UNDER A HALF FOOT WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS INCLUDING RATON PASS. BLOWING SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TONIGHT ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PLAINS...AND BLOWING DUST WILL RESTRICT VISIBILITIES FARTHER SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AS MENTIONED ABOVE...ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS THROUGH LATE TUESDAY. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CROSSES FROM THE BAJA PENINSULA. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. 44
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Tucumcari ASOS as well as Mesonet sites reported high sustained winds for about an hour during the early evening hours.
Clovis ASOS recorded a 47mph sustained wind gust during the evening hours. The ASOS was hitting high wind criteria on and off for close to two hours in the late evening.
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: 436848, 436849.