A human-caused wildfire that started near the Asaayi Lake and Bowl Canyon recreation area east of Crystal, New Mexico burned for nearly 2 weeks. The communities of Naschitti and Sheep Springs were partially evacuated.
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 human-caused wildfire that started near the Asaayi Lake and Bowl Canyon recreation area east of Crystal, New Mexico burned for nearly 2 weeks. The communities of Naschitti and Sheep Springs were partially evacuated. The preliminary number of displaced residents was approximately 500. A total of 24 residences and 4 outbuildings were destroyed. The monetary value of damages were estimated for this event. There were three established shelters. The fire consumed around 14712 acres.
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 Jun 14, 10:15 PM MST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1115 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 2014 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE VFR CIGS AND VIZ NEXT 24 HRS WITH REDUCED WIND SPEEDS SUNDAY COMPARED TO SATURDAY EXPERIENCE. BROAD SOUTHWEST GUSTS 25 KTS OR LESS WILL REDEVELOP FROM 17Z ONWARD SUN MORNING...WITH EXCURSIONS TO 30 KTS IN TAFS FOR GUP AND LVS. TURBULENT WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT BACKING TO SOUTHWEST THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT...AS SURFACE TROUGH REDEVELOPS SUN AFTERNOON FROM EASTERN COLORADO TO THE SOUTHERN TX PANHANDLE AND DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE SITS OVER CENTRAL COLORADO. SHY && .PREV DISCUSSION...809 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 2014... .UPDATE... WIND ADVISORY EXPIRES ON SCHEDULE...STATEMENT ALREADY ON THE WIRE. WILL TRIM BACK PRECIP COVERAGE AND ADJUST WIND SPEEDS FOR PUBLIC ZONES UPDATE HEADED FOR THE WIRE SHORTLY. RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS UP TIL 9 PM MDT WITH FIRE WEATHER WATCH STILL LOOKING GOOD FOR MONDAY. 43/SHY && .PREV DISCUSSION...300 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 2014... .SYNOPSIS... A DISTURBANCE PASSING TO OUR NORTH AND A SURFACE FRONT WILL BRING DRIER AIR AND COOLER TEMPERATURES TO NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. WINDS WILL BE LESS ON SUNDAY BUT WILL INCREASE AGAIN MONDAY WITH POTENTIAL FOR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MONDAY AFTERNOON. MOISTURE MAY ATTEMPT TO SEEP INTO THE REGION FROM THE SOUTH TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER DISTURBANCE DIVES TOWARD THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. ANY MOISTURE INCREASE WILL NOT LAST LONG AS THE SYSTEM PASSES TO OUR NORTH WEDNESDAY...BRINGING DRIER AIR WITH IT. MOISTURE MAY SLOSH BACK AND FORTH IN THE EAST TOWARDS THE END OF NEXT WEEK...BUT THE WEST SHOULD REMAIN DRY WITH NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. && .DISCUSSION... DEW POINTS MIXING OUT THIS AFTERNOON WITH SINGLE DIGITS FAR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL AND DRY LINE RECEDING EASTWARD AND APPEARING TO BE LOCATED EAST OF THE PECOS VALLEY AND NORTHEAST TO KTCC VICINITY. CHANCES FOR MEASURABLE RAINFALL LOOKING PRETTY SLIM...DESPITE THE CURRENT CONVECTION OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. SUCCEEDING SHIFT MAY BE ABLE TO YANK POPS BY MID EVENING IF CURRENT TRENDS PERSIST. HIGHER DEW POINTS MAY PUSH BACK INTO NORTHEAST NM LATER TONIGHT ONCE THE WESTERLIES SETTLE DOWN AND A FRONT DROPS INTO THE REGION...BUT NOT EXPECTED RE-IGNITION OF CONVECTION. LOW TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL BE QUITE A BIT COOLER...AND BELOW NORMAL...ESPECIALLY NORTH CENTRAL AND WEST DUE TO THE DRIER AIR. WINDS SUNDAY SHOULD BE LESS THAN TODAY WITH A DRIER AIR MASS IN PLACE. MODELS INDICATE ANY LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WHICH GETS INTO THE NORTHEAST WILL RETREAT DURING THE DAY. DID HANG ONTO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST SUNDAY WHERE MODELS SUGGEST SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY LINGER...BUT NOT CONFIDENT IT WON/T MIX OUT BY THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS WILL BE WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF NORMAL...WHICH MEANS LOWER MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR MOST AREAS BUT ESPECIALLY THE EAST. SOUTHWEST TO WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT WILL PERSIST MONDAY AND TUESDAY. ANY EXISTING MOISTURE SHOULD BE RELEGATED TO THE FAR SOUTH AND EAST CENTRAL AS WESTERLY BREEZES INCREASE MONDAY AFTERNOON. MODELS A LITTLE MORE AT ODDS TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT WITH THE GFS INSISTING MOISTURE WILL WORK ITS WAY INTO THE REGION FROM THE SOUTH...AND MAY BE LOCATED FARTHER WEST THAN WHAT THE ECMWF INDICATES. THEREFORE TWEAKED THE TUESDAY NIGHT POPS NORTHWARD AND UP AT A BIT. THIS SO CALLED SURGE LOOKS TO NOT BE LONG LIVED AS DRIER AIR PUSHES IN FROM THE WEST COURTESY OF ANOTHER TROUGH SWINGING THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES WEDNESDAY. A BIT OF A COOL DOWN IN HIGH TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY WILL BE FOLLOWED BY SOME COOLER LOWS WEDNESDAY NIGHT...ALTHOUGH OVERALL THE NUMBERS WILL BE NOT TOO FAR FROM AVERAGE. LATE NEXT WEEK...A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER NEW MEXICO. THE GFS AGAIN IMPORTS MOISTURE INTO THE STATE FROM THE SOUTH...THE ECMWF LESS INCLINED TO DO SO ALTHOUGH IT FEATURES A SIGNIFICANT SURGE OF MOISTURE FROM THE EAST LATER THURSDAY/FRIDAY. BOTH MODELS SUGGEST A SUBTROPICAL SYSTEM MEANDERING TO OUR SOUTHWEST...BUT THE ECMWF HIGH CENTER IS LOCATED WELL NORTH OF THE GFS POSITION EARLY NEXT WEEK...WHICH WOULD LEAD TO SOME PRETTY HOT TEMPERATURES ACROSS NEW MEXICO. && .FIRE WEATHER... ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING THEN RETURN MONDAY FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO... A CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER EVENT IS UNDERWAY AS STRONG WINDS ALOFT ROUND THE BASE OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MAKING EASTWARD PROGRESS INTO NW NEW MEXICO. THE MID LEVEL DRY INTRUSION IS PROGRESSING EAST INTO THE STATE AS WELL AND IS REFLECTED AT THE SURFACE BY RELATIVE HUMIDITIES DIVING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ACROSS THE NORTHWEST QUARTER. ELSEWHERE...RHS ARE TRENDING DOWN RAPIDLY BELOW CRITICAL THRESHOLDS WITH WINDY AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS. A ROUND OF CONVECTION HAS INITIATED ALONG AND EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...BUT GIVEN THE LOWER PWAT ATMOSPHERE WITH STRONG WINDS ALOFT LEADING TO FASTER STORM MOVEMENT...NO WETTING RAIN IS ANTICIPATED. LIGHTNING STRIKES SO FAR HAVE BEEN FEW...AND LIMITED TO TORRANCE AND GUADALUPE COUNTIES. THE CURRENT RED FLAG WARNING LOOKS ON TRACK AND WILL ALLOW IT TO CONTINUE THROUGH 9 PM MDT. WINDS WILL TREND DOWN OVERNIGHT WITH MOSTLY POOR AND SOME FAIR HUMIDITY RECOVERY. SUNDAY WILL BE ANOTHER CRITICALLY DRY AND UNSTABLE DAY AS THE MID LEVEL DRY INTRUSION SETTLES-IN OVER THE AREA. MANY HOURS OF SINGLE DIGIT RHS ARE FORECAST SUNDAY CENTRAL AND WEST. THE ONE INGREDIENT MISSING FOR ANOTHER CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER EVENT SUNDAY IS WIND SPEEDS...WHICH ARE FORECAST TO TREND DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN WAKE OF THE PASSING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. HOWEVER... WINDS WILL BE ON THE UPTREND BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS/HIGHLANDS AND MAY HIT CRITICAL THRESHOLDS FOR AN HOUR OR TWO. THE WIND MACHINE GETS CRANKED BACK UP ON MONDAY WITH A VERY DRY AIR MASS CONTINUING OVER THE AREA. WILL ISSUE A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR THE NW(ZONES 101,102 & 105) FOR MONDAY...BUT HOLD OFF FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST. MOISTURE LOOKS TO BE DRAWN NORTH ON MONDAY IN ADVANCE OF A SOUTHWARD MOVING PACIFIC LOW OVER THE PACIFIC NW AND NORTHERN ROCKIES...RESULTING IN CLOUDS AND LOWER HAINES ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. THEN...ZONES 103 AND 104 HAVE FUELS ISSUES WHICH MAY NOT RESULT IN SUFFICIENT FIRE DANGER. THAT SAID...DRYING TODAY WILL IMPACT THE FINER FUELS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST SO THE FOLLOWING SHIFT WILL REEVALUATE FOR MONDAY. THE HIGHEST CONFIDENCE AREA FOR CRITICAL CONDITIONS ON MONDAY IS DEFINITELY THE NORTHWEST QUARTER. BY TUESDAY...MOISTURE WILL INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY OVER MOST OF THE AREA IN ADVANCE OF THE SLOW EASTWARD PROGRESSING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE NORTHERN/CENTRAL ROCKIES AND GREAT BASIN. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE STILL POSSIBLE TUESDAY...MOST LIKELY NW...BUT FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS LOW TO MODERATE. HIGHER POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER CRITICAL EVENT WEDNESDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SWINGS EAST AND THE WESTERLIES PUSH MOISTURE EAST OUT OF NM. SOME DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MEDIUM RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS ON THE STRENGTH OF THAT TROUGH MAKING FOR A LOWER CONFIDENCE FORECAST. BOTH THE 12Z GFS AND ECMWF SHOW PRESSURE HEIGHTS INCREASING AND WINDS DECREASING TOWARD THE END OF NEXT WEEK AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND AS A LARGE SUBTROPICAL UPPER HIGH BUILDS OVER NORTHERN MEXICO AND UP OVER NEW MEXICO. THIS IS A PATTERN CHANGE SIGNAL THAT WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE (IF NOT END) THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE FIRE GROWTH ACROSS OUR AREA. && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ101-102-105. && 43
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 600 AM MDT SAT JUN 14 2014 NMZ501>540-151200- 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 SAT JUN 14 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 1000 AM TO 900 PM MDT FOR ALL OF NORTHERN AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL NEW MEXICO WHERE LOW HUMIDITIES COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AND TUESDAY ACROSS THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS AND PLAINS. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 40
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
704 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1235 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW FORT STANTON 33.47N 105.54W
06/14/2014 M59 MPH LINCOLN NM AWOS
KSRR AWOS.
&&
EVENT NUMBER ABQ1401063
SHYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
919 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1235 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW FORT STANTON 33.47N 105.54W
06/14/2014 M59 MPH LINCOLN NM AWOS
KSRR AWOS.
1235 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW FORT STANTON 33.47N 105.54W
06/14/2014 M59 MPH LINCOLN NM AWOS
KSRR AWOS.
0107 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 WNW GALLUP 35.54N 108.78W
06/14/2014 M58 MPH MCKINLEY NM ASOS
KGUP ASOS.
&&
EVENT NUMBER ABQ1401062 ABQ1401063 ABQ1401061
SHY1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Incident management reported 14,712 acres consumed in the Chuska Mountains to the east of Crystal, New Mexico. At least 24 structures and 4 outbuildings were destroyed.
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, June 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: 513970.