A powerful storm system moved across the central Rockies and combined with rapidly deepening low pressure over eastern Colorado and eastern New Mexico to produce strong winds across the state late on the 10th into the 11th. West to southwest winds increased after midnight on the 11th over the higher peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the south-central mountains with winds rapidly…
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 powerful storm system moved across the central Rockies and combined with rapidly deepening low pressure over eastern Colorado and eastern New Mexico to produce strong winds across the state late on the 10th into the 11th. West to southwest winds increased after midnight on the 11th over the higher peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the south-central mountains with winds rapidly increasing over all of New Mexico into the morning of the 11th. This system also brought accumulating snow to northern portions of the state, which caused road closures as well as near-zero visibilities in blowing snow.
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 Jan 10, 10:54 PM MST, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1054 PM MST THU JAN 10 2013 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE NOT MANY CHANGES MADE TO TAF PACKAGE. ADJUSTED TIMING SLIGHTLY FOR COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE...PEAK WIND SPEED PERIODS AND PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. STILL LOOKS SOLID FOR FMN AND GUP TO RECEIVE SOME SNOW. PROBABLY WILL START OUT AS A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW AT FMN BUT QUICKLY CHANGE TO SNOW AS COLD AIR POURS INTO THE STATE BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. MVFR CIGS/VIS A LIKELY BET. HARD TO SAY ABOUT IFR CONDITIONS BUT WOULDNT RULE IT OUT FOR 30 TO 60 MINUTES. STRONG WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN AVIATION ISSUE FOR MOST OF THE TERMINAL SITES DURING CERTAIN PERIODS TODAY. WENT AHEAD AND CAPTURED BLDU AND SOME VIS RESTRICTIONS AT SOME OF THE SITES. STILL TRICKY TO GAUGE EFFECT AT TCC AND ROW. LAST TWO BIG WIND SYSTEMS PROVIDE 2 TO 4SM VIS RESTRICTIONS DUE TO BLDU. BUT THESE TWO SITES HAD SOME DECENT RAINFALL RECENTLY SO IT WILL TAKE MORE WIND FOR A LONGER PERIOD. TEMPS ALSO LOOK TO BE ON THE COOLER SIDE WHICH REDUCES THE BLDU THREAT. MID LEVEL DRY SLOT SHOULD SLIDE IN LATE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON WHICH WOULD ALLOW MORE SOLAR RADIATION TO HIT THE GROUND AND WARM THE SURFACE FOR PARTICLE SUSPENSION. EITHER WAY BLDU IS EXPECTED. DECREASING WINDS LATE AFTERNOON. 50 && .PREV DISCUSSION...958 PM MST THU JAN 10 2013... ONLY CHANGE TO EXISTING HEADLINES WAS TO START THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAIN ZONE AT MIDNIGHT...RATHER THAN 6 AM. NO OTHER CHANGES TO FORECAST. WILL NOT SEND OUT ZONE UPDATE FOR ONE HEADLINE CHANGE. NPW AND WSW SENT. .PREV DISCUSSION...327 PM MST THU JAN 10 2013... STILL LOOKS LIKE A WINDY TO VERY WINDY DAY FRI WITH THE HELP OF VERY STRONG WINDS ALOFT AND A VERY HEALTHY SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT. IN ADDITION MUCH COLDER AIR WILL BE USHERED INTO NM WITH THE AID OF A LARGE AND RATHER BROAD UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH. AT LEAST SPOTTY SNOW SHOULD BEGIN ALONG/WEST OF THE CONTDVD AND OVER THE SAN JUANS OF RIO ARRIBA COUNTY BY OR A LITTLE BEFORE MIDNIGHT...THEN SHOULD INCREASE BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND SUNRISE FRI. WILL STAY WITH WINTER WX ADVY FOR PORTIONS OF NW NM...SPECIFICALLY ZONES 101 THROUGH 103 PLUS ZONE 110 STARTING AT 9 PM THIS EVENING. THOUGHT ABOUT DELAYING WINTER WX ADVISORY START TIME TIL 06Z OR EVEN 07Z...BUT STAYED WITH INHERITED 04Z TIME BASED ON FAIRLY FAST EASTWARD ADVANCE OF PCPN IN AZ. DECREASED SNOW AMTS EVER SO SLIGHTLY MOST AREAS WITH EXCEPTION OF HIGH TERRAIN IN RIO ARRIBA COUNTY. STILL SOME SPOTTY MARGINAL ADVISORY AMTS POSSIBLE IN SOME OF ADJACENT ZONES TO S OF PRESENT ONES...BUT TOO MARGINAL OR SPOTTY TO EXPAND ADVISORIES INTO THOSE ZONES AT THIS TIME. LATER SHIFTS WILL LIKELY MONITOR THIS. COMBINED WITH STRONG AND GUSTY WIND...AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW COULD REDUCE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES...AND GENERALLY IMPEDE TRAVEL OVER THE REGION. STILL THIS IS NOT REALLY A MAJOR EVENT...THOUGH THE ADDITION OF THE WINDS AND WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPS WILL MAKE AT LEAST A SIGNIFICANT EVENT. EARLIER WIND WATCH UPGRADED TO HIGH WIND WARNING WITH THE ADDITION OF SOME CENTRAL NM ZONES AS WARNINGS ALSO...INCLUDING PORTIONS OF RIO GRANDE VALLEY WHERE IT WILL BE A LITTLE LOWER GRADE WARNING. WIND ADVISORIES HOISTED FOR REST OF THE W HALF OF NM OUTSIDE OF WINTER WX ADVISRIES AREA. FRI HIGH TEMPS...ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE DIVIDE FRIDAY NOT TO BE MUCH WARMER THAN THE OVERNIGHT LOWS...AND THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE MAY EVEN RESULT IN A MODEST TEMPERATURE DROP OVER SOME CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE DURING THE DAY. THROUGH THE WEEKEND...SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD BE LIMITED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTH/WEST CENTRAL...MORE SO SAT THAN SUN. TEMPS TO RANGE FROM 10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE INTO AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. UNSETTLED WX PATTERN ALSO CONTINES WELL INTO NEXT WEEK... THOUGH RIGHT NOW PCPN AMTS DO NOT LOOK ALL THAT HEAVY. 43 .FIRE WEATHER... CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER...SOME LOCAL DIPS IN HUMIDITIES WITH GUSTY WINDS WILL PRODUCE AN HOUR OR TWO OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER SOUTHERN SOCORRO COUNTY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. MODELS...IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT THROUGH MIDWEEK...WITH SOME SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES EMERGING FROM MIDWEEK ONWARD IN COMPLEX PATTERN EVOLUTION. LARGE WEATHER SYSTEM DOMINATING WESTERN U.S. WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS BY LATE FRIDAY...BUT LEAVE BROAD WESTERN TROUGH PATTERN UNTOUCHED. NEXT INBOUND SHORTWAVE WILL AMPLIFY OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN REGION AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DESERTS ON SUNDAY AND MOVE TO NORTHERN SONORA AND CHIHUAHUA MONDAY NIGHT AND SWINGS TROUGH AXIS OVER NEW MEXICO BY WEDNESDAY. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES EMERGING FROM WEDNESDAY ONWARD WITH GFS MORE PROGRESSIVE IN MOVING TROUGH EAST AS RIDGE BUILDS OVER WHOPPING CORE CENTERED ON CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. PATTERN...REPRESENTING ANY WARMING TREND IN THE CARDS...THEN MAKES AGONIZINGLY SLOW PROGRESS TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST U.S. AS RIDGE CORE COLLAPSES HEADING INTO NEXT WEEKEND. EUROPEAN SOLUTION CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT...CLOSING OFF A LOW OVER THE NEW MEXICO BOOT HEEL AND THEN MOVING THIS FEATURE INTACT TO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. RIDGE STORY MUCH LESS DRAMATIC UPSTREAM...AND ACTUALLY NEVER MAKES IT TO NEW MEXICO BEFORE THE NEXT SHORTWAVE AND TROUGH ROAR OUT OF THE CANADIAN ARCTIC AND INTO NEW MEXICO TO KEEP THINGS COLD AND UNSETTLED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK WITH LITTLE SIGN OF ANY WARMING TREND. WILL WATCH THIS ONE CAREFULLY IN RUNS TO COME. OVERNIGHT...LAST REASONABLY MILD OVERNIGHT FOR AWHILE...WITH ADDITIONAL CLOUD COVER MOVING IN FROM THE WEST AND UP TICK IN WIND SPEEDS PULLING APART INVERSION POTENTIAL. WIND SPEEDS WILL PICK UP FIRST OVER THE SUMMITS OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS...THE SACRAMENTOS...AND OUT OVER THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN ALONG THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR OVERNIGHT. GENERALLY GOOD HUMIDITY RECOVERIES. FOR FRIDAY...WIDESPREAD BIG BLOW WITH SOME SNOW AS STRONGEST OF THE TURBULENT DYNAMICS IN PLAY ABOUT WESTERN STORM MOVE ACROSS NEW MEXICO. RAPID DEEPENING OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE ACROSS EASTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN NEW MEXICO WILL WILL TIGHTEN SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS...AND KICK OFF MAJOR LEAGUE WIND EVENT FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE. SOMEWHAT LESS WIND...BUT STILL WINDY...OVER THE WEST IN WEAKER SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT AND AWAY FROM THE BEST MOMENTUM RESERVOIR ALOFT. TEMPERATURES PLUMMET AS THE SYSTEM WITH ITS ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT SWEEPING EAST AND SOUTH...WITH WESTERN SPOTS GETTING CUT SHORT 10 TO 20 DEGREES UNDERNEATH MID JANUARY NORMALS...AND LAST OF THE NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ON THE RUN OUT OF THE EASTERN PLAINS. SPOTS OF DRY CONDITIONS AND GUSTS OVER THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY MAY PRODUCE AN HOUR OR TWO OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER FRIDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS DECREASING GRADUALLY AFTER SUNSET...WITH LINGERING GUSTS OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN SUMMITS AND ADJACENT PLAINS WELL INTO FRIDAY EVENING. EXCELLENT HUMIDITY RECOVERIES IN ASSOCIATED SNOW SHOWERS NORTH AND WEST...FAIR TO GOOD ELSEWHERE. FOR SATURDAY...PLUNGING TEMPERATURES BRINGING WESTERN POINTS 15 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL...WITH 10 TO 20 DEGREE SHORTFALLS IN THE EAST. SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...BUT WIND SPEEDS WILL BE CONSIDERABLY REDUCED OVER WHAT WAS OBSERVED ON FRIDAY. MUCH DRIER AIR WILL OFFSET THE COLD TO KEEP MINIMUM HUMIDITIES ONLY SLIGHTLY INCREASED FOR THE DAY. NO VENTILATION ISSUES EXPECTED WITH GENERALLY GOOD HUMIDITY RECOVERIES. VERY COLD OVERNIGHT FOR THE COLDEST NIGHT OF THIS PARTICULAR SNAP. FOR SUNDAY...10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR ANOTHER CHILLY DAY. VERY SPOTTY SNOW SHOWERS NORTH AND WEST DECREASING THROUGH THE DAY WITH LIGHT WINDS PICKING UP EASTERLY COMPONENT AS WEAK PUSH OF COLD AIR MOVES IN FROM THE EAST. MINIMUM HUMIDITIES MAINLY IN THE 20S AND 30S PCT. DOWN TICK IN VENTILATION...BUT MOST SPOTS WILL REMAIN IN THE FAIR TO GOOD CATEGORY AWAY FROM THE COLORADO BORDER. GOOD TO EXCELLENT HUMIDITY RECOVERIES OVERNIGHT. OUTLOOK...MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...LITTLE CHANGE TO TEMPERATURE REGIME OVERALL THROUGH MIDWEEK AS NEW MEXICO REMAINS LOCKED IN THE BASE OF THE BROAD WESTERN TROUGH. GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS MONDAY AND TUESDAY PICKING UP A NORTHERLY COMPONENT AND SOME BREEZINESS ON WEDNESDAY AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER UTAH. VERY MODEST DRYING TREND THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH MINIMUM HUMIDITIES REMAINING IN THE 30S AND 40S PCT STATEWIDE. DETERIORATING VENTILATION IN POOR SHAPE THROUGH THIS FIRST HALF OF THE WORK WEEK...LAST OF THE BETTER VENTILATION NEAR THE TEXAS BORDER ERODING WITH EACH DAY. SPOTTY SHOWER COVERAGE NORTH AND WEST GRADUALLY SHIFTING TO THE SOUTH AS SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH BROADER TROUGH CIRCULATION MOVES ACROSS THE STATE BY MIDWEEK. SHY && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ513-514-523-524-526-539-540. WIND ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TO 6 PM MST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ504>509-516-517-520. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 6 AM TO 6 PM MST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ511-512-515-518-519-521-522-525-527>538. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ503-510. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ501-502. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 600 AM MST THU JAN 10 2013 NMZ501>540-111300- 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- 600 AM MST THU JAN 10 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A MUCH COLDER STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT WESTERN AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO THIS EVENING. ACCUMULATING SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WHILE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS STRENGTHEN OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN...WHERE GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MUCH COLDER AIR WILL SPREAD FROM WEST TO EAST OVER THE STATE FRIDAY AS ACCUMULATING SNOW AND AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW PERSIST OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS OF 30 TO 50 MPH WILL RAKE AREAS ALONG THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN EAST TO THE TEXAS BORDER FRIDAY WITH GUSTS TO 60 TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE. TEMPERATURES 10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE WILL PREVAIL THROUGH AT LEAST 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 SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AS WELL AS WIND IMPACTS THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ABQ OR BY CALLING 1-888-386-7637.
13 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sierra Blanca AWOS reported high wind criteria (sustained 40 mph or greater) during the overnight and early morning hours.
Ski site recorded three consecutive hours of wind gusts greater than 70 mph with sustained winds at nearly 45 mph for over two hours.
Weather recording equipment near Los Alamos reported wind gusts in the 50s with high sustained winds in the 30s throughout the morning.
Angel Fire ASOS reported a wind gust to high wind criteria (sustained wind speeds of 40 mph or greater and/or wind gusts to 58 mph or greater) during the early morning hours.
Observer reported wind gusts in the 50 mph range with sustained winds in the 40s.
Las Vegas ASOS reported high wind criteria (sustained wind speeds of 40 mph or greater and/or wind gusts to 58 mph or greater) during the early morning hours.
Observer reported wind gusts in the 50 mph range with estimated sustained winds in the 40s.
Reported by the Dunken RAWS during the late morning hours of the 11th.
Dora Mesonet reported sustained winds reaching high wind criteria (sustained wind speeds of 40 mph or greater and/or wind gusts to 58 mph or greater) in the late morning hours of the 11th and again just before noon.
Tucumcari ASOS reported high wind criteria (sustained wind speeds of 40 mph or greater and/or wind gusts to 58 mph or greater) in the late morning hours of the 11th. High winds were reported on and off for about 3-4 hours.
Clovis AWOS reported high wind criteria (sustained wind speeds of 40 mph or greater and/or wind gusts to 58 mph or greater) in the late morning hours of the 11th. High winds were reported on and off for about 3-4 hours.
Clines Corners ASOS recorded sustained winds reaching high wind criteria (sustained wind speeds of 40 mph or greater and/or wind gusts to 58 mph or greater) during the morning hours.
Reported by Trans Western Mesonet.
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, January 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: 419450, 419434, 419432, 419436, 419438, 419451, 419437, 419456, 419454, 419452, 419453, 419439, 419455.