A strong upper level trough dove southeastward through northeast New Mexico throughout the day. Continued tight surface pressure gradient between high pressure over southwest Colorado and low pressure trough to the east resulted in strong winds across central and eastern New Mexico.
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 strong upper level trough dove southeastward through northeast New Mexico throughout the day. Continued tight surface pressure gradient between high pressure over southwest Colorado and low pressure trough to the east resulted in strong winds across central and eastern New Mexico. Winds aloft steadily strengthened throughout the morning into the early afternoon gradually mixing down to the surface. Wind speeds peaked during the late afternoon hours before decreasing into the late evening hours. Along with significant sustained wind speeds and wind gusts, blowing dust occurred at some locations.
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 12, 10:41 AM MST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1041 AM MST SUN JAN 12 2014 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE MAIN IMPACTS TO AVIATION TODAY WILL BE STRONG WINDS AND AREAS OF BLOWING DUST. WESTERLY WINDS ARE INCREASING OVER THE REGION AND WILL PEAK BTWN 21Z AND 23Z BEFORE TAPERING OFF GRADUALLY AFTER SUNSET. THE CORE OF STRONGEST WINDS WILL FOCUS ALONG THE I-40 CORRIDOR FROM NEAR EDGEWOOD EAST TO CLINES CORNERS...TUCUMCARI SOUTH TO CLOVIS. THIS IS THE AREA WHERE THE STRONGEST INSTABILITY SHOULD LOFT BLOWING DUST THRU THE BOUNDARY LAYER UNTIL AS LATE AS 04Z. PLACED AN IFR TEMPO FOR KTCC WHERE GREATEST CONFIDENCE EXISTS ON BLDU. WILL HOWEVER ADJUST FOCUS AREAS ACCORDINGLY ONCE SOURCE REGIONS ARE IDENTIFIED ON SPECIAL NASA SPORT DUST RGB IMAGERY. ELSEWHERE...A BAND OF -SN WILL SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN HIGH TERRAIN WITH MT OBSCURATIONS AND BRIEF EXCURSIONS TO MVFR. SKIES WILL CLEAR TONIGHT ALL AREAS. GUYER && .PREV DISCUSSION...900 AM MST SUN JAN 12 2014... INCREASED WINDS A BIT E OF ABQ ALONG THE I 40 CORRIDOR AND POINTS SOUTH. STILL WITHIN WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA. 40 .PREV DISCUSSION...252 AM MST SUN JAN 12 2014... CURRENTLY...TURBULENT ZONAL FLOW ACROSS NEW MEXICO...AS UPSTREAM TROUGH ROARS TOWARD THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. SURFACE HIGH SITS OVER SOUTHWEST COLORADO...AS DEEPENING TROUGH LIES FROM WESTERN NEBRASKA SOUTHWARD ALONG THE EASTERN BORDER OF NEW MEXICO. MODELS...IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT THROUGH THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK AND FOLLOWING WEEKEND...WITH NAGGING PATTERN EVOLUTION AND FEATURE PLACEMENT PROBLEMS SHOWING UP AS THE FOLLOWING WORK WEEK GETS UNDERWAY. ACCEPTED CONSENSUS KICKS OFF BY DIGGING TROUGH FROM THE FOUR CORNERS ACROSS NEW MEXICO TO SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH THE DAY TODAY...AS UPSTREAM RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE TROPICAL EAST PACIFIC. BLUSTERY NORTHWEST FLOW WILL REDEVELOP OVER THE STATE ON MONDAY IN THE WAKE OF THE PASSING TROUGH...AND THIS WILL DECREASE STEADILY THROUGH MIDWEEK AS THE UPSTREAM RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE CALIFORNIA COAST...AND THE AXIS OF THE DOWNSTREAM TROUGH SETS UP FROM HUDSONS BAY ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES TO THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND GULF COAST. RIDGE WILL HAVE TROUBLE MAKING TOO MUCH EASTWARD PROGRESS...AND A QUICK SHORTWAVE ORIGINATING FROM THE BITTEROOT RANGE OF WESTERN MONTANA WILL DIVE SHARPLY SOUTHEASTWARD TO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING WITH A POSSIBLE CLIP TO THE NORTHEAST PLAINS OF NEW MEXICO. UPSTREAM RIDGE WILL BEGIN SLOW COLLAPSE EASTWARD ACROSS NEW MEXICO THROUGH THE WEEKEND. UPSTREAM PATTERN DIFFERENCES EMERGING AS THE FOLLOWING WORK WEEK DRAWS NEAR...WITH EUROPEAN ECMWF SOLUTION STILL PAINTING A TIGHT CLOSED LOW MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AND TO THE FOUR CORNERS AREA LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE MONDAY NIGHT WITH AN AMPLIFYING TROUGH ACROSS NEW MEXICO. DOMESTIC GFS SOLUTION WILL HAVE NONE OF THIS...AND INSTEAD KEEPS A BROAD RIDGE OVER NEW MEXICO THROUGH THE FIRST OF THE WORK WEEK. A TOUGH GAP TO CLOSE...AND WILL KEEP FORECAST THINKING ON CURRENT TRACK PENDING A TILT TO A MORE HARMONIOUS START TO THE WORK WEEK. FOR TODAY...TROUGH DIGGING OUT OF THE FOUR CORNERS WILL THRUST INTO NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY THIS EVENING...AS SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT REMAINS TIGHT BETWEEN DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER SOUTHWEST COLORADO...AND EASTWARD TRANSLATING TROUGH SHIFTING FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE LONE STAR STATE. WAD OF HIGH CLOUDINESS ARRIVING WITH INCOMING TROUGH SUPPORTING GUIDANCE TRENDS TOWARD LOWER WIND SPEEDS THIS AFTERNOON AS MIXING HEIGHTS DO NOT REACH THEIR CLEAR SKY VERTICAL LIMITS. HAVE GONE WITH BROAD WIND ADVISORY COVERAGE IN THE EAST...WITH EMPHASIS ON SUMMITS AND EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN...AND EASTWARD OUT OVER THE PLAINS TO THE TEXAS BORDER. HAVE PAINTED BROAD AREA OF BLOWING DUST THROUGH THE DAY TODAY INTO THIS EVENING...WITH IMPROVING CONDITIONS BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AS WIND SPEEDS DROP OFF. WITH WIND AND LOW HUMIDITIES OVER THE EAST...WILL CONTINUE WITH RED FLAG WARNINGS AS WRITTEN. COLD FRONT BARRELING INTO THE STATE WILL ALSO TAKE THE EDGE OFF RUN OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN THE NORTH AND WEST...AS THE EAST WARMS TO 10 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE MID JANUARY NORMALS. DAYTIME MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL RUN INTO THE 70S OVER CHAVES COUNTY...AND UPPER 60S NEAR PORTALES AND CLOVIS...PUTTING THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR THE DAY IN SOME JEOPARDY THIS AFTERNOON. NOT TO FORGET SNOW...AND SOME SPOTTY SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS NEAR THE COLORADO BORDER ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH DAYBREAK MONDAY MORNING WITH MODEST ACCUMULATIONS. FOR MONDAY...TURBULENT NORTHWEST FLOW REMAINS OVERHEAD...AS DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER WESTERN COLORADO...AND TIGHTER SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT SETS UP OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES AND OUT OF NEW MEXICO. WHAT REMAINS WILL CONTINUE SUPPORT FOR GUSTY AFTERNOON NORTHWEST BREEZES OVER THE EASTERN SLOPES AND ADJACENT PLAINS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN...AND LOCALLY OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND SANGRE DE CRISTO SUMMITS. COOLER AIR OVERSPREADING THE STATE WILL EASE DAYTIME TEMPERATURES OUT OF RECORD TERRITORY IN THE EAST AND TOWARD NORMAL OR A FEW DEGREES WARMER...AND LEAVE THE WEST PRETTY MUCH NEAR NORMAL FOR MID JANUARY. FOR TUESDAY...FLOW ALOFT REMAINING NORTHWEST BUT SLACKENING CONSIDERABLY AS TROUGH AXIS MOVES EASTWARD...AND RIDGE REMAINS OFF TO THE WEST OVER THE CALIFORNIA COAST. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM A FEW DEGREES...BUT COOL ADVECTION IN BROAD NORTH TO NORTHEAST SURFACE FLOW ON EASTERN MARGINS OF WESTERN COLORADO DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL KEEP ANY WARMING MODEST ON AN OTHERWISE SUNNY AND DRY DAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RUN A HANDFUL OF DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE DAY. FOR WEDNESDAY...FLOW ALOFT WEAKENS FURTHER...AS SURFACE DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS TO THE INTERMOUNTAIN REGION...AND WEAK TROUGH DEEPENS DIAGONALLY ACROSS NEW MEXICO FROM THE BOOT HEEL TO EASTERN COLORADO. TEMPERATURES RATCHET UP A FEW MORE DEGREES TO RETURN SPOTS IN THE EASTERN PLAINS TO NEARLY 10 DEGREES ABOVE MID JANUARY NORMALS...WITH 3 TO 8 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN THE WEST. CONTINUED AFTERNOON WESTERLY BREEZINESS OVER THE EASTERN SLOPES AND ADJACENT EASTERN PLAINS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN OUTLOOK...THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...WEAK COLD FRONT OUT OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL PENETRATE NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO ON THURSDAY AND OVERSPREAD THE STATE ON FRIDAY...RETURNING WARM SPELL BACK TO WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF NORMAL BY FRIDAY. RIDGE COLLAPSING EASTWARD ACROSS NEW MEXICO WILL RETURN THE WARMING TREND...WITH SATURDAY DAYTIME TEMPERATURES BROADLY 3 TO 8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE DAY. DRY THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH LOCAL AFTERNOON BREEZES. SHY .FIRE WEATHER... ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ON TAP FOR MOST OF EASTERN NEW MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON... A MOSTLY DRY UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS CURRENTLY APPROACHING NEW MEXICO FROM THE NORTHWEST. WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM ALREADY STARTING TO INCREASE OVER THE NORTHEASTERN AND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS EARLY THIS MORNING. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. THE STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS AND DOWN SLOPING EFFECTS/DRYING WILL COMBINE TO CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR SEVERAL HOURS OVER MUCH OF EASTERN NEW MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON. AS TEMPERATURES COOL SLIGHTLY DURING THE EARLY EVENING...BEHIND A DRY COLD FRONT PUSHING FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE REGION...RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL INCREASE TO ABOVE CRITICAL THRESHOLDS. MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER UTAH BUILDS INTO NM. BREEZY TO WINDY AND COOLER CONDITIONS ARE ON TAP FOR MONDAY WITH LOCALIZED CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN/NEAR THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS EAST OF CLINES CORNERS TO SANTA ROSA WHERE STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH SIGNIFICANT DOWN SLOPING EFFECTS. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE WEST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TUESDAY WITH A DRY NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT IN PLACE. A DRY BACKDOOR COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO SLIDE SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE EASTERN PLAINS TUESDAY MORNING....COOLING TEMPERATURES THERE SLIGHTLY AND KEEPING BRISK NORTHEAST WINDS GOING THROUGH THE DAY. THE DRY NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES INTO WEDNESDAY...GRADUALLY TRANSITIONING TO LIGHT WEST-NORTHWESTERLY BY THURSDAY. A WEAK BACKDOOR COLD FRONT IS THEN FORECAST TO DROP INTO THE NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH A STRONGER NELY PUSH THURSDAY NIGHT. FAIR TO GOOD VENTILATION RATES ON MONDAY WILL TREND DOWNWARD INTO THE POOR TO FAIR RANGE FOR TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WITH SOME IMPROVEMENT EXPECTED FOR THE EASTERN PLAINS FRIDAY. POOR VENT RATES ARE ANTICIPATED DURING THE WEEKEND AS THE CENTER OF AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE GRADUALLY TRANSLATES EAST TOWARDS NM AND TEMPERATURES AT/NEAR MOUNTAIN TOP LEVEL WARM. ECMWF HINTING THAT A CLOSED UPPER LOW MAY DROP SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN LATE NEXT WEEKEND BUT GFS IS MUCH FARTHER NORTH. AT ANY RATE...IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT ANY PRECIPITATION IS IN SITE THROUGH AT LEAST DAY 7 AND LIKELY BEYOND. 33 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ104-108. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ512-514-515-521>526-528-529-531>540. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 521 AM MST SUN JAN 12 2014 NMZ501>540-131300- 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 MST SUN JAN 12 2014 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 LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PLAINS...WHERE LOW HUMIDITIES COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE SPEEDS TO HAZARDOUS LEVELS BY LATE MORNING ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND EASTERN NEW MEXICO...WITH STRONGEST WINDS BY MID AFTERNOON. WIND SPEEDS WILL TAPER OFF BY LATE EVENING. EASTERN NEW MEXICO VISIBILITIES WILL BE LOCALLY POOR IN BLOWING DUST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT MEASURED WIND SPEEDS AND OBSERVED WIND IMPACTS THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ABQ OR BY CALLING 1.888.386.7637. SHY
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Tucumcari ASOS recorded a wind gust to 58mph during the early afternoon hours of January 12, 2014.
The Clines Corners ASOS recorded a sustained wind speed over 40mph and a wind gust to 58mph during the early evening hours of January 12, 2014.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, January 2014
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: 483643, 483644.