A low pressure system over the Pacific northwest made its way toward New Mexico over the weekend bringing major weather changes through mid week. As the system moved into the Four Corners area Monday strong winds were prevalent statewide.
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 low pressure system over the Pacific northwest made its way toward New Mexico over the weekend bringing major weather changes through mid week. As the system moved into the Four Corners area Monday strong winds were prevalent statewide. As the system continued to trek east and north the winds subsided while precipitation began over western and northern portions of the state. Precipitation developed initially as rain with some thunderstorms Monday afternoon. As temperatures dropped into the overnight hours rain turned over to snow with the New Mexico/Colorado border coming out as the winners for this event. Precipitation tapered off into Wednesday afternoon.
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 8, 11:10 AM MST, 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1210 PM MDT MON APR 8 2013 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE VERY STRONG SW WINDS AND BLOWING DUST SHOULD IMPACT ALL TAF SITES THIS AFTN AND EARLY EVENING AS A POWERFUL UPPER LOW APPROACHES THE FOUR CORNERS. WIND GUSTS OVER 40 KT WILL BE COMMON...EXCEPT FOR GUSTS AROUND 50 KT FROM THE CHUSKA MTNS SOUTHWARD...FROM KLVS SOUTHWARD ALONG THE E SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN AND IN THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY. STRONG WINDS WILL DIMINISH BY MID EVENING OUT WEST...BUT A STRONG JET STREAK CROSSING S NM WILL CAUSE STRONG SURFACE WINDS TO PERSIST ALL NIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF THE S CENTRAL MTNS INCLUDING KSRR. THE BLOWING DUST WILL PRODUCE MVFR CONDITIONS...EXCEPT FOR IFR CONDITIONS AT TIMES IN S CENTRAL AND SW AREAS. PRECIPITATION WILL ALSO SPREAD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM W TO E AS THE UPPER LOW CROSSES THE FOUR CORNERS TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. ISOLD -TSRA MAY ACCOMPANY SHOWERS ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN AREAS THIS AFTN. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL THEN DROP TO NEAR 6500 FEET IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN AREAS LATE TONIGHT AS A PACIFIC FRONT CROSSES. 44 && .PREV DISCUSSION...355 AM MDT MON APR 8 2013... QUITE THE COMPLEX CLOSED UPPER LOW EVOLUTION EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48-60 HRS. 155KT NORTHERLY JET JUST OFF THE WA/OR COAST WILL DIG THE CLOSED UPPER LOW SLIGHTLY FARTHER SOUTH THAN PREVIOUS MODELS RUNS INDICATED. THE SLIGHTLY FARTHER SOUTH TRACK WILL LEAD TO A SLIGHTLY SLOWER EVOLUTION OF THE UPPER LOW...INCLUDING A DELAYED PACIFIC FRONTAL PASSAGE...UNTIL AFTER SUNSET OR SO OVER THE FAR NW. THE ADDITIONAL BACKING OF THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL KEEP THE DRY SLOT OVER W-CENTRAL NM TODAY...MAKING HIGH WINDS A GOOD BET ALONG/NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AS IT CURVES WESTWARD (CROSS-BARRIER) BETWEEN GALLUP AND CROWNPOINT. HIGH WINDS ALSO APPEAR LIKELY ALONG RIDGE TOPS OF THE GILA/BLACK RANGE EAST AND NORTHEAST TO THE SAN MATEO AND MAGDALENA MOUNTAINS. HIGH WIND THREAT THEN SHIFTS EAST DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS AS 700MB LEVEL WINDS EXCEED 70KTS THERE. BLOWING DUST WILL BE COMMON AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON AREADWIDE. VERY STRONG BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL COMBINE WITH STRONG SW WINDS/OROGRAPHICS TO DROP SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTH. TUSAS MOUNTAINS THE LIKELY WINNER AS THE FLOW ORIENTATION AND LOCATION FAVORS AREAS EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF CHAMA. MODELS NOW IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER...ELONGATING THE UPPER LOW OVER NM TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS THE SUBTROPICAL JET GETS INTO THE ACT. INCREASED PRECIP CHANCES OVER WEST- CENTRAL AREAS AS WELL AS THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS AS A RESULT OF THE FARTHER SOUTH TRACK. BACKDOOR FRONT PUSHES RAPIDLY SOUTH ALONG THE LEE OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS...BRINGING A ROUND OF SNOW TO THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND PLAINS TUESDAY. CONTINUED WITH TREND TO KEEP THE BACKDOOR PUSH EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN GIVEN THE SHALLOW NATURE OF THIS AIRMASS AND THE OPPOSING SURFACE AND MID- LEVEL FLOW. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS INSTABILITY SHOWERS WILL DOMINATE ALL AREAS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS -23C AIR MOVES OVERHEAD AND COMBINES WITH SUFFICIENT PACIFIC MOISTURE AND DAYTIME HEATING. HIGH TEMPERATURES...HOWEVER...WILL BE 15 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES TUESDAY AND 15 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE LEVELS FOR EARLY APRIL ON WEDNESDAY. UPPER LEVEL HEIGHTS RISE RAPIDLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR THE START OF A WARMING TREND THURSDAY. TRAILING SHORT-WAVE TROUGH IN NW FLOW ALOFT EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. SHOWER CHANCES RETURN TO THE NORTH THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY AS WELL AS SEVERAL DEGREES C OF COOLING NEAR MOUNTAIN TOP LEVEL. ELY SURFACE FLOW BEHIND THE DEPARTING WAVE KEEP SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT A DRY QUASI-ZONAL FLOW ALOFT RETURNS FOR THE WEEKEND. 33 .FIRE WEATHER... ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED FROM THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS EASTWARD MONDAY AFTERNOON UNTIL SUNSET... WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 40-45KTS DETECTED BY KABX/KFDX VAD WIND PROFILES WILL MIX QUICKLY THIS MORNING WITH A WARM START TO THE DAY AS OVERNIGHT LOWS COME IN 5 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE WIND FORECAST FOR TODAY/TONIGHT IS CLOSE TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST CYCLE...BUT HELD ONTO STRONGER WINDS OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST AS THE 00Z MODELS SHOW A SPEED MAX ROTATING OVER THIS AREA WITH 60-70KTS AT 700MB. FORECASTING SLIGHTLY DRIER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE FAR EASTERN PORTIONS OF OUR WESTERN FIRE WEATHER ZONES...WITH A FEW HOURS OF CRITICAL CONDITIONS LIKELY THERE THIS AFTERNOON. WILL HOLD-OFF ON A RED FLAG WARNING FOR THOSE ZONES GIVEN LIMITED COVERAGE OF CRITICAL CONDITIONS FORECAST THERE. EXCELLENT MIXING...TRANSPORT AND VENT RATES EXPECTED TODAY ALL AREAS. MUCH COLDER AIR TO SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WITH AN UPTREND IN RELATIVE HUMIDITIES EXPECTED. CHANCES FOR WETTING PRECIPITATION WILL BE ON THE UPTREND AS WELL...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AS THE UPPER LOW PUSHES TO NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS BY TUESDAY MORNING. GOOD CHANCES FOR WETTING PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT PROGRESSES SOUTH ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS AND BANKS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. AT THE SAME TIME...THE UPPER LOW WILL PULL-OUT OVER COLORADO...BUT A SECOND PIECE OF ENERGY WILL ROTATE AROUND THE BACKSIDE ACROSS NEW MEXICO TUESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL KEEP PRECIPITATION CHANCES GOING...AGAIN FAVORING THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS WHERE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS NEAR ONE FOOT ARE POSSIBLE. WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS SYSTEM THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND WILL BRING A DOWNTREND IN VENT RATES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH...AND THE EASTERN PLAINS ON WEDNESDAY. A WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH TO MOVE THROUGH THE WESTERLY FLOW LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY AND MAY BRING A BRIEF SHOT AT WETTING PRECIPITATION TO THE NORTH AND EAST. LOW CONFIDENCE ON TRACK... TIMING AND STRENGTH OF THIS FEATURE WITH SOME NOTABLE DIFFERENCES AMONG THE 00Z MEDIUM RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS. OTHERWISE...EXPECT A WARMING/DRYING TREND TO BEGIN THURSDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH IMPROVEMENTS TO VENTILATION AS WESTERLY FLOW PREVAILS. THE NEXT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER DAY AFTER TODAY LOOKS TO BE SUNDAY AT THE EARLIEST. 11 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ520>526-529-539-540. RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ103-104-106>108. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ527-528-532-533-537-538. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ501-504-511>515-518-519. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ502-505>509. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM MDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ510>514. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 629 AM MDT MON APR 8 2013 NMZ501>540-091230- 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- 629 AM MDT MON APR 8 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE RAPIDLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING UPPER LOW AND SURFACE COLD FRONT. HIGH WINDS WILL BEGIN OVER WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON AND OVER SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AREAS THIS EVENING. VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED IN AREAS OF BLOWING DUST. WIND GUSTS COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN NEW MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN AND WESTERN NEW MEXICO WILL CHANGE TO SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN MOUNTAINS...WITH SIGNIFICANT HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW ACCUMULATIONS LIKELY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE AND EXPAND IN COVERAGE THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT TO THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND ADJACENT PLAINS...THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...AND THE SUMMITS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...AS GUSTS REDEVELOP OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS WITH BLOWING DUST AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES. TUESDAY NIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL DIP WELL BELOW FREEZING AT MOST LOCATIONS. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 33
6 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Aprswxnet/CWOP station reported a gust to 61mph during the early afternoon. High sustained speeds were measured as well.
Numerous Mesonet sites in the zone reported sustained and wind gust speeds near criteria throughout the afternoon hours.
Clines Corners ASOS reported gust to 58mph and sustained winds to 40mph throughout the afternoon.
Mesonet in zone recorded sustained and gust wind speeds at criteria throughout the afternoon hours.
Farmington ASOS reported a peak wind gust to 58mph during the afternoon hours. Sustained and gust speeds stayed at or near criteria through the early evening.
Gallup ASOS recorded a 60mph gust during the afternoon hours and stayed at criteria through early evening.
Trained spotters and SNOTEL sites reported snow amounts ranging from 5-8 inches across the zone.
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: 436796, 436802, 436815, 436834, 436792, 436794, 435100.