The Tres Lagunas Fire burned 10,219 acres within and near prized recreation and resource areas. The fire was human-caused when electrical lines went down on May 30, igniting Ponderosa pine and other timbers.
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.
The Tres Lagunas Fire burned 10,219 acres within and near prized recreation and resource areas. The fire was human-caused when electrical lines went down on May 30, igniting Ponderosa pine and other timbers. The assessment report by the Burned Area Emergency Response team indicated this was a relatively healthy wildfire burn and included a small area of re-burn in the 2002 Viveash Fire. Approximately 15% of the burn was high intensity, 13% moderate, and 72% low. The National Interagency Coordination Center indicated the total cost of this fire will near $3.5 million, including efforts to reduce the effects of monsoonal flash flooding.
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 May 30, 11:00 AM MST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1200 PM MDT THU MAY 30 2013 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE WITH A POTENT UPPER LEVEL JET STRETCHED OVER NORTHERN NEW MEXICO...ANOTHER AFTERNOON OF GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...FAVORING THE NORTHERN HIGH TERRAIN...ADJACENT EAST SLOPES...EASTERN HIGHLANDS AND NORTHEAST PLAINS. SATELLITE WV IMAGERY DEPICTS MOUNTAIN WAVES IN THE NORTHEAST THIRD OF THE FORECAST AREA. SURFACE WINDS WILL GUST TO 35-40KTS ACROSS THE NORTH AND KABQ WILL BE MONITORED FOR A POTENTIAL AWW ISSUANCE...TAF IS CURRENTLY CARRYING GUSTS JUST BELOW CRITERIA. BLOWING DUST COULD RESTRICT VISIBILITIES TO 3-5SM CENTRAL AND EASTERN LOCATIONS. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY RELAX AFTER 03Z...AND WILL START TO INCREASE AFTER 15Z ON FRIDAY WITH SOMEWHAT LOWER MAGNITUDES THAN THOSE OF TODAY. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AREAS IMPACTED BY BLOWING DUST...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED ALL AREAS. 05 && .PREV DISCUSSION...325 AM MDT THU MAY 30 2013... DRYLINE HAS SO FAR STAYED TO THE EAST OF NEW MEXICO THIS MORNING AND ALTHOUGH IT/S FAIRLY CLOSE TO HOBBS DON/T EXPECT IT TO GET MUCH FARTHER WEST IF AT ALL. IN THE NORTHEAST DEWPOINTS HAVE COME UP AS THE SFC LOW SHIFTED INTO THE TX/OK PANHANDLES BUT THIS INCREASE LIKELY WON/T LAST LONG WITH THE RUC FORECASTING A WEAK SFC LOW TO REDEVELOP OVER SE CO BY MIDDAY. MODELS ALSO SHOW CURRENT BATCH OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE EXITING BY MIDDAY. UPPER JET TO RETREAT NWD TODAY BUT WILL BE STRETCHED OVER FAR NRN NM AND COLORADO...COMBINED WITH THE SFC LOW PLACEMENT WILL HAVE LOW END WIND ADVY OVER SOME OF THE NORTH CENTRAL/NORTHEAST SOUTH TO CLINES CORNERS. DRY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER WINDY DAY ON FRIDAY WITH CRITICAL FIRE WX CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. ANOTHER BATCH OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE PASSES OVERHEAD TONIGHT AND FRIDAY BUT ANYTHING MORE THAN A FEW SPRINKLES OUT OF IT...IF THAT...WOULD BE A SURPRISE. SURFACE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE BACK DOOR FRONT INTO THE EAST SATURDAY. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE APPEARS TO MOVE IN FROM THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST WITH INCREASING INSTAB SO WENT AHEAD AND SPREAD SOME SMALL POPS FROM THE EAST SLOPES OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAIN ACROSS CHAVES COUNTY AND NORTHEAST ALONG THE TX BORDER SATURDAY AFTERNOON ALTHOUGH FOR NOW BEST CONFIDENCE IS IN THE SOUTHEAST. ANOTHER BLOB OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO MIGRATE OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE AND COULD NOT RULE OUT A FEW SPRINKLES UNDERNEATH IT...BUT LEFT MENTION OUT OF FCST FOR NOW. IN FACT THE ADJMET GUIDANCE DOES PAINT SOME LOW POPS OVER THE SOUTHWEST MTS. INCREASED POPS SOMEWHAT SUNDAY ESPECIALLY ALONG THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN. LEFT THE MENTION OF DRY CONVECTION FROM THE RGV WWD ALTHOUGH COULD BE A MIX WITH AT LEAST SOME MEAGER MEASURABLE PCPN DEPENDING IF THE SURGE IS AS STRONG AS DEPICTED SO FAR. HOWEVER...MONDAY STARTS TO DRY OUT AND TUESDAY EVEN MORE SO. REMOVED THE POPS IN THE EAST FOR TUESDAY NIGHT...AND PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE FOR TUESDAY AS WELL AS RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS DRY. ANOTHER BACKDOOR FRONT WEDNESDAY LOOKS TO PUSH INTO THE RGV WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SO POPS/WX GRIDS FOR MID TO LATE WEEK HAVE BEEN UPDATED. .FIRE WEATHER... ...WIDESPREAD CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS DUE TO STRONG WIND AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO THROUGH FRIDAY... ...DRY LIGHTNING THREAT INCREASING SUNDAY CENTRAL/WEST... MOVING INTO DAY 2 OF A PROTRACTED CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER PATTERN THAT WILL EXTEND THROUGH FRIDAY. THEREAFTER...FAR LESS WIND BUT GROWING CONFIDENCE IN A SUBSTANTIAL WESTERLY PUSH OF LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE THAT WILL RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT DRY LIGHTNING THREAT FOR CENTRAL/WESTERN AREAS BY SUNDAY. SATURDAY LOOKS TO BE A CLASSIC TRANSITION DAY AS RICHER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INITIALLY MAKES A RETURN TO THE EC/SE PLAINS AS SURFACE WINDS VEER TO SELY AND TAPS INTO A NOW SEMI-PERMANENT POOL OF GULFMEX MOISTURE. POTENTIAL FOR SOME DRIER STORMS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL/SC MOUNTAIN SATURDAY PM. HIGHER DEW POINT AIR ALSO CREEPING NORTHWARD ALONG THE RGV AND THAT COUPLED WITH A SUBTLE AND ALWAYS SNEAKY UPTICK IN MID-LEVEL MOISTURE AS THE UPPER RIDGE EXPANDS/BUILDS NORTHWARD COULD RESULT IN AT LEAST AN ISOLATED DRY LIGHTNING THREAT OVER THE WC/SW HIGHER TERRAIN AS EARLY AS SATURDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING. THIS WILL BE CLOSELY MONITORED. EVEN THE SLIGHTEST UPTICK IN LOWER/MID LEVEL MOISTURE IN THE PRESENCE OF VERY STEEP LAPSE RATES THAT ARE TYPICAL OF THE DEVELOPING PATTERN THIS WEEKEND SEEMS TO RESULT IN MORE THAN EXPECTED BUILDUPS/VIRGA AND DRY CG/S. WE SHALL SEE. SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING LOOKING TO BE THE MORE CRITICAL DAY WITH RESPECT TO DRY LIGHTNING FOR THE WEST THOUGH MONDAY COULD BE FAIRLY ACTIVE EAST OF THE DIVIDE TO THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AS DRIER AIR ADVANCES EASTWARD. IN THE MEANTIME...LARGE-SCALE UPPER TROUGH SLOWLY PIVOTING NORTHEAST FROM THE CENTRAL/NORTHERN ROCKIES EARLY THIS MORNING. BASE OF THE TROUGH TRANSLATED EASTWARD OVER OUR AREA THIS PAST NIGHT AND PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE STRONGEST MID-LEVEL WINDS WILL PASS OVERHEAD BEFORE MIDDAY. THAT SAID...AN ANOMALOUSLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET ORIENTED NW TO SE FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION WILL NOT SHIFT NORTHWARD APPRECIABLY TODAY. AS A RESULT...WIND SPEEDS THOUGH A BIT LESS THAN YESTERDAY WILL STILL BE SIGNIFICANT WITH FREQUENT GUSTS OF 35-40 MPH ACROSS THE NORTH. SURFACE LOW NOT AS FAVORABLE EITHER. NO CHANGES TO THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR FRIDAY THOUGH BELT OF STRONGEST WINDS DO SHIFT SOUTHWARD PER PREVIOUS FORECAST. VERY DEEP MIXING CONTINUES TODAY BEFORE MAX MIXING HEIGHTS TREND DOWNWARD SLIGHTLY ON FRIDAY. LOWEST RH VALUES CENTRAL VALLEY CORRIDOR AND IN THE EAST. EXTENDED MODELS STILL TRENDING DRIER/BREEZIER EARLY NEXT WORK WEEK FOLLOWING OUR LIGHTNING PERIOD. BACK TO VERY DEEP MIXING AND GUSTY AFTERNOON/EVENING PERIODS THOUGH TOO EARLY TO GAUGE STRENGTH OF ANY SUSTAINED WINDY PERIODS. KJ && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ101>104-106>108. FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ101>108. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ510>516-523-527>529. && 50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 600 AM MDT THU MAY 30 2013 NMZ501>540-311200- 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 MDT THU MAY 30 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS...DUE TO LOW HUMIDITIES AND STRONG WINDS...WILL IMPACT MUCH OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO EXCEPT THE WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WHERE A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT. WEST WINDS SUSTAINED AT 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH ARE FORECAST ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...AS WELL AS THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND PLAINS SOUTH TO THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. AREAS OF REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING DUST ARE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FRIDAY FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO WHERE LOW HUMIDITIES COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR ISOLATED DRY THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHTNING SUNDAY THROUGH THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND WEST TO THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AT 911 AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 1.888.386.7637 TO REPORT WILDFIRE OUTBREAKS.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Downed power lines ignited a wildfire along highway 63 near the vacation community of Tres Lagunas. The wildfire spread quickly to 7,395 acres in the last 2 days of May.
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, May 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: 457146.