The combination of a very cold upper level storm system for mid May and a powerful cold front within central New Mexico produced widespread light snowfall in many areas along and north of Interstate 40. Heavy snowfall occurred in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where the strongest upslope flow and upper level forcing coincided.
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 combination of a very cold upper level storm system for mid May and a powerful cold front within central New Mexico produced widespread light snowfall in many areas along and north of Interstate 40. Heavy snowfall occurred in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where the strongest upslope flow and upper level forcing coincided. Generally 8 to 11 inches of snow was reported in the higher terrain. A peak wind gust of 63 mph was reported within the Upper Tularosa Valley as gap winds set up over the region. Roadways become slick and icy across portions of northern New Mexico. Highway 68 was closed south of Taos due to inclement weather.
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 12, 10:55 AM MST, 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1155 AM MDT MON MAY 12 2014 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE HIGH IMPACT PERIOD FOR AVIATION OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS...ESPECIALLY FOR THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN NM SITES. CURRENTLY THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL WAVE IS DEEPENING OVER THE NW CORNER AND WILL SAG SOUTH THRU THE DAY. THIS SCENARIO WILL HELP DRAG THE AIRMASS ACROSS THE EAST WESTWARD THRU GAPS IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY BTWN 22-01Z. GUSTS MAY NEAR 35 KTS FOR AN HOUR OR TWO AT KABQ HOWEVER NO AWW IS EXPECTED. THICK MID LEVEL CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE BUILDING OVER THE REGION WITH MT TOP OBSCURATIONS NEARLY ALL AREAS BY LATE DAY. RAIN/SNOW WILL DEVELOP AS WELL ESPECIALLY AFT 22Z WITH WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY DURING THE OVERNIGHT. GREATEST CONFIDENCE ON IFR OR LOWER WILL BE THE EAST SLOPES TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS INCLUDING KRTN...KLVS...AND KTCC. FOR THIS ISSUANCE WAS FAIRLY OPTIMISTIC FOR KSAF HOWEVER SOME GUIDANCE INDICATES MUCH WORSE CONDITIONS...SO AN AMENDMENT LATER TODAY OR THE 00Z ISSUANCE MAY SHOW LOWER CIGS/VSBYS. SNOW/CLOUDS EXPECTED TO CLEAR TOWARD THE SE BY MID TO LATE MORNING TUESDAY. GUYER && .PREV DISCUSSION...328 AM MDT MON MAY 12 2014... .SYNOPSIS... A POTENT SPRING STORM SYSTEM OVER COLORADO AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO WILL BRING MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION LATER TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING A LATE SEASON SNOW TO PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...WITH RATHER SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND ACROSS THE UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY. A STRONG BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL CREATE STRONG EAST CANYON WINDS INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY OVERNIGHT. WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY BEHIND THE DEPARTING SYSTEM...WITH LOW TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW FREEZING FOR MANY NORTHERN NEW MEXICO LOCALES. A LATE WEEK WARM UP IS FORECAST TO PERSIST INTO THE WEEKEND WITH A RETURN TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS. && .DISCUSSION... AT 3 AM MDT...THE UPPER LOW WAS MOVING SLOWLY EAST ACROSS COLORADO AND THE COLD FRONT HAD PUSHED THROUGH OUR SOUTHERN FORECAST ZONES. THE KEY WEATHER FEATURES FOR THE FORECAST THROUGH THE NEXT 36 HOURS WILL BE A STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH PUSHING SOUTH AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE UPPER LOW CIRCULATION INTO NORTHERN NEW MEXICO AND THE ASSOCIATED SECONDARY FRONTAL PUSH. THE 00Z UPPER AIR DATA SHOWED 700MB TEMPERATURES OF -5C TO -9C WITH THIS SECONDARY PUSH OVER WY/UT. THE 00Z GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN 700MB TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA 12Z TUESDAY SHOWS THOSE SAME KIND OF TEMPERATURES AT 700MB...WITH -9C ALONG THE NM/CO BORDER...WHICH WOULD BE ROUGHLY -3 STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF NORMAL. SO...IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO GET COLD. FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY AT A NUMBER OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO LOCALES FOR THE NEXT TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW AND THE FREEZE WATCH HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A FREEZE WARNING FOR MONDAY NIGHT. AT THIS POINT...TUESDAY NIGHT LOOKS TO BE THE COLDEST AS THE TROUGH MOVES EAST OF THE AREA AND A NEAR-IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING SCENARIO SETS UP. A LIGHT FREEZE IS EVEN POSSIBLE ALONG THE BOSQUE IN THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY TUESDAY NIGHT. BESIDES THE ANOMALOUSLY COLD TEMPERATURES...SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS FORECAST AND A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED FOR THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON AND CARRYING THROUGH TUESDAY. THE TIMING OF THE UPSLOPE GENERATED BY THE SECONDARY FRONTAL PUSH AND THE PASSAGE OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH LOOK TO SYNC PERFECTLY FOR A PERIOD OF HEAVY SNOW. AMOUNTS BETWEEN 3 AND 6 INCHES WILL BE COMMON IN THE ADVISED AREA...WITH TOTALS OVER THE PEAKS POSSIBLY APPROACHING 1 FOOT. THE SANTA FE METRO WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ADVISORY...BUT UP TO 1 INCH SNOW ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. ACROSS THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO...MOSTLY RAIN IS EXPECTED...BUT A CHANGE- OVER TO SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN THE FOOTHILLS AND UP ON THE WEST MESA AFTER MIDNIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR IMPACTS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE SANDIA AND MANZANO MOUNTAINS TUESDAY MORNING...BUT SNOW SHOULD BE MELTING OFF THE ROADS AND ACCUMULATING ONLY ON GRASSY SURFACES AND ROOFTOPS. A WARMING TREND IS FORECAST GOING INTO LATE WEEK AND CONTINUING INTO THE WEEKEND AS A WEST COAST RIDGE SHIFTS EAST...FLATTENS AND GIVES-WAY TO MODERATE WESTERLY FLOW BY SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO BE BACK TO NORMAL BY FRIDAY AND THEN ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND. 11 && .FIRE WEATHER... A WELCOME RESPITE FROM CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS LOOKS TO GRACE NEW MEXICO THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND INCREASED CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION WILL COME WITH A SECONDARY DISTURBANCE ALOFT AND SOME WEAKER SUBSEQUENT PIECES OF ENERGY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PRIMARY WIND CONCERNS THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK WILL COME IN THE FORM OF GUSTY CANYON WINDS IN CENTRAL LOCATIONS PRONE TO THE LOCALIZED EFFECTS OF BACK DOOR FRONTS. THIS WILL INCLUDE GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH IN THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. OTHERWISE...LOOK FOR ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS LATE TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT WITH A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IN MUCH OF THE REMAINING AREAS OF THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE. LATE SEASON FREEZES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE IN SOME NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE TONIGHT AND AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY WARM WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF NORMAL BY THURSDAY AS PRESSURE HEIGHTS RISE WITH NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT CONTINUING...BUT WITH WEAKER SPEEDS. DAY BY DAY...WILL BE MONITORING THE EVOLUTION OF THE FINER DETAILS OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND AS THIS LOOKS TO BE THE NEXT WINDOW OF CONCERN. THE PATTERN WILL BE SHIFTING TO ONE OF MORE WESTERLY FLOW BY THE WEEKEND WITH WINDS SPEEDS AT THE SURFACE/20FT LEVEL BEGINNING TO PICK UP AND TEMPERATURES WARMING BACK ABOVE AVERAGE. BETTER MIXING AND MORE INSTABILITY WILL SHAPE UP SATURDAY WITH WINDS ESCALATING TO CRITICAL THRESHOLDS BY SUNDAY. 52 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MDT TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ510>516. FREEZE WARNING FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON MDT TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ501-517-518-522-523-528>531. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 514 AM MDT MON MAY 12 2014 NMZ501>540-131200- 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- 514 AM MDT MON MAY 12 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS WITH ISOLATED THUNDER WILL DEVELOP LATER TODAY ACROSS NORTHERN NEW MEXICO AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PUSHES SOUTH OUT OF WESTERN COLORADO. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS LIKELY ABOVE 9500 FEET...WITH THE SNOW LEVEL LOWERING QUICKLY THIS EVENING. THE BEST CHANCES FOR SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE ACROSS THE SANGRE DE CRISTO...TUSAS AND JEMEZ MOUNTAINS...INCLUDING THE UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT. ELSEWHERE...LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO HAVE MUCH IMPACT. IN ADDITION...FREEZE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR LOWER ELEVATION LOCATIONS OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND THE UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY. FREEZE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT EARLY TUESDAY MORNING FOR LOWER ELEVATION LOCATIONS OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO. ADDITIONAL FREEZE WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED FOR TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. 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 THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ABQ OR BY CALLING 1.888.386.7637. 11
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
841 AM MDT MON MAY 12 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1200 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 WNW SANDIA PARK 35.21N 106.45W
05/11/2014 E61 MPH BERNALILLO NM PUBLIC
TOP OF SANDIA PEAK TRAM.
&&
EVENT NUMBER ABQ1400901
GUYER4 heavy snow, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple sources including SNOTEL, Coop observers and ski areas recorded snowfall amounts ranging from 2 to 10 inches.
The Wesner Springs SNOTEL site recorded up to 11 inches of snow.
Multiple sources including Coop observers and SNOTEL sites recorded snowfall amounts ranging from 3 to 8 inches across the area.
A CoCoRaHS observer reported a snowfall amount up to 8 inches.
Phillips Hill reported numerous gusts over 58 mph with a peak at 63 mph.
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, May 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: 507001, 507003, 507005, 507008, 506112.