An upper level low passing to the north of New Mexico steered a polar jet overhead. The right entrance region of the jet crossed south central to east central areas increasing dynamic forcing and the threat for severe weather as abundant moisture as well as instability were also present.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
An upper level low passing to the north of New Mexico steered a polar jet overhead. The right entrance region of the jet crossed south central to east central areas increasing dynamic forcing and the threat for severe weather as abundant moisture as well as instability were also present. By early afternoon a long line of showers and thunderstorms had developed across the northern mountains with another line extending from Raton down the eastern plains to Carrizozo. Many of these embedded storms became severe with large hail, high wind, and even a tornado reported. The activity continued into the late night hours across Quay and Roosevelt counties before exiting east into Texas right around midnight.
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 Sep 29, 12:41 PM MST, 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 141 PM MDT MON SEP 29 2014 .UPDATE... UPDATED ZONES TO ISSUE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 509 FOR MUCH OF THE AREA ALONG AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN UNTIL 9 PM MDT. 44 && .PREV DISCUSSION...1210 PM MDT MON SEP 29 2014... .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS TSRA WILL BE AREA WIDE THIS AFTERNOON WITH STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS IMPACTING AREAS EAST OF THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN STARTING AROUND 20Z. LARGE HAIL...50 MPH WIND GUSTS AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE THE MAIN THREATS FOR IMPACT AREAS. RELATIVELY BRIEF MVFR CIGS/VISBY POSSIBLE WITH TSRA ALONG WITH BRIEF MTN TOP OBSCURATION. ADDED TEMPO GROUPS FOR MOST SITES EXCEPT KGUP AS AFTN DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES. ALSO ADDED GS FOR KLVS BETWEEN 20 AND 23Z. STORMS SHOULD EXIT THAT STATE BY 6Z LEADING TO POSSIBLE PATCHY FOG DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTH EAST PLAINS. 32 && .PREV DISCUSSION...318 AM MDT MON SEEP 29 2014... .SYNOPSIS... A STORM SYSTEM OVER THE GREAT BASIN AND DESERT SOUTHWEST WILL PROGRESS EAST TODAY INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES AND INTERACT WITH ABUNDANT ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE...PRODUCING SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NEW MEXICO THROUGH TONIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...WITH THE FOCUS SHIFTING INTO THE EASTERN PLAINS THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. A PACIFIC FRONT WILL PUSH EAST ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AND MUCH DRIER AIR WILL SETTLE IN ON TUESDAY...COINCIDING WITH THE LAST DAY OF THE MONSOON SEASON. WITH THE DRIER AIR COMES LOWER LOW TEMPERATURES AND LARGER DIURNAL TEMPERATURE RANGES. A SECOND TROUGH WILL IMPACT THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO LATE WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY THURSDAY WITH A REINFORCING COLD FRONT. A FEW SHOWERS MAY ACCOMPANY THIS FEATURE...WITH A DUSTING OF SNOW POSSIBLE ACROSS THE PEAKS OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. A WARMING TREND WILL KICK-OFF ON FRIDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE STRENGTHENS OVER THE REGION. && .DISCUSSION... THE FOCUS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS WILL BE ON AN INCREASING THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH ROTATES EAST AROUND THE UPPER LOW...CURRENTLY OVER THE NV/UT STATE LINE. BOTH 00Z AND 06Z NAM12 0-6KM BULK SHEAR VALUES ARE EASILY SUPPORTIVE OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE SPC DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK CONTAINS A SLIGHT RISK AREA THAT INCLUDES MUCH OF EASTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. HOWEVER... BOTH THE 00Z AND 06Z NAM12 RUNS SHOW CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS SUPPORTIVE OF A SEVERE THREAT BACKED UP TO THE RIO GRANDE THIS AFTERNOON...SO WE'VE ADDED A MENTION OF SEVERE A TAD FURTHER WEST OF THE SLIGHT RISK AREA. THE IMPACT WINDOW FOR THE ALBUQUERQUE AND SANTA FE METROS IS BETWEEN 1-5 PM MDT. THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THE SHORTWAVE WILL FOCUS CONVECTION ALONG AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN THIS EVENING WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW STORMS TO PERSIST BEYOND MIDNIGHT ACROSS THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS. MUCH DRIER AIR WILL SETTLE-IN ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY BEHIND THE PACIFIC FRONT...EFFECTIVELY ENDING THE 2014 NORTH AMERICAN MONSOON COINCIDENT WITH THE LAST DAY OF OUR LOCALLY DEFINED MONSOON SEASON. AN OPEN WAVE TROUGH IS FORECAST TO DROP OUT OF THE NORTHWEST AND MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO LATE WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY THURSDAY...BRINGING A REINFORCING FRONT. A FEW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE...MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS LATE WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY THURSDAY AS THE TROUGH PUSHES OVER. THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS MAY EVEN SEE A DUSTING OF SNOW. EVEN DRIER AIR WILL OVERTAKE THE REGION AFTER THE TROUGH PASSAGE...AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. HIGH FORECAST CONFIDENCE ON THE UPPER HIGH EVOLUTION LATE NEXT WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND WITH VERY GOOD AGREEMENT AMONG THE 00Z GFS AND ECMWF. TEMPERATURES WILL TREND UP FROM FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH ABOVE NORMAL HIGHS AREAWIDE. 11 && .FIRE WEATHER... AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CURRENTLY OVER NEVADA AND UTAH WILL SPEED UP AS IT WORKS INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES TODAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS TO NM TODAY WITH A PACIFIC FRONT SWEEPING IN FROM THE WEST BY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. WITH THE DRIER/COOLER PACIFIC AIR FILLING INTO THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE STATE...STORMS WILL BE DECREASING THERE BY LATE AFTERNOON WITH THE FOCUS SHIFTING TO CENTRAL TO EASTERN PARTS OF THE STATE BY THE EVENING. BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST IN THE NORTHEAST...AND TEMPERATURES WILL HOLD NEAR OR JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE. MINIMUM RH WILL FALL TO NEAR 20 PERCENT IN WEST CENTRAL ZONES BY LATE AFTERNOON IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT...BUT ELSEWHERE VALUES WILL BE MUCH HIGHER. GUSTY AND PERHAPS SEVERE OUTFLOW GUSTS FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG WITH POTENTIAL FOR HAIL. THERE IS HIGH POTENTIAL FOR MOST CENTRAL TO EASTERN ZONES TO OBSERVE SOME RAINFALL...BUT THE QUICK MOVEMENT OF STORMS WILL LIKELY LIMIT AMOUNTS SOME. MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE EAST/NORTHEAST OF NM BY MIDNIGHT AS THE UPPER LOW EJECTS QUICKLY. BY TUESDAY MORNING DRY AND COOLER AIR LEFT IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. IN FACT...SEVERAL HIGH TERRAIN AREAS IN WESTERN TO NORTHERN ZONES WILL LIKELY OBSERVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES BY DAWN TUESDAY...A CATALYST FOR SEASONAL CURING OF FUELS. INTO THE AFTERNOON TUESDAY...BREEZES WILL BE LIGHT TO MODERATE AT THE SURFACE/20FT LEVEL WITH WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT INHIBITING ANY SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE FROM RETURNING. THE FLOW IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO KEEP FAIR TO GOOD VENTILATION RATES THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL THEN TRAVERSE THE CENTRAL ROCKIES WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY...AND THE DRIER/COOLER AIR WILL BE REINFORCED IN NEW MEXICO WITH THE ATTENDANT FRONT. SOME BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL ACCOMPANY THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FRONT...AND SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN AND EVEN SOME HIGH ELEVATION SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. HAINES INDICES WILL REMAIN SUPPRESSED THROUGH THIS TIME...AND POOR VENTILATION MAY CROP UP BY THURSDAY...FRIDAY...AND SATURDAY...ESPECIALLY IN CENTRAL TO WESTERN ZONES. TO CLOSE OUT THE WEEK...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL SWELL OVER THE BAJA AND GREATER SOUTHWEST STATES...SUPPRESSING STRONG WINDS AND ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB BACK ABOVE AVERAGE BY THE WEEKEND. 52 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 44
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 504 AM MDT MON SEP 29 2014 NMZ501>540-301200- 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- 504 AM MDT MON SEP 29 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY EAST TO NEAR THE TEXAS BORDER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WHERE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE. THE FOCUS FOR STORMS WILL BE ACROSS CENTRAL NEW MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON...SHIFTING EAST TO OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS BY THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY 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... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN NEW MEXICO DUE TO THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. 11
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 22 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:06 UTC.
16 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Albuquerque ASOS recorded a thunderstorm wind gust from the south at 62 mph during the afternoon hours of the 29th.
Safety director at the Expo New Mexico reported that the festival tent for the Rio Grande Arts and Crafts fair was destroyed due to thunderstorm wind.
Thunderstorm wind gust to 59 mph recorded at the WSMR Oscura Range Camp.
Tribal police reported hail up to 1.5 inches in Dulce.
Observer reported quarter size hail that damaged car windshields and dented vehicles.
Significant damage to vehicles and skylights.
Ground was covered by hail.
Hail was mostly pea size with a few quarter size stones.
Observer was unable to stand up because the winds were so strong.
A tornado traveled slightly north of due east through complex terrain of the Lazy Triangle Anchor Ranch, passing less than one quarter mile north of the ranch headquarters located near the intersection of U.S. Highway 64/84. The tornado traveled through terrain ranging from 7500 feet to 9800 feet in elevation. Numerous if not hundreds of large diameter pine trees and cedars were snapped and/or twisted and subsequently uprooted along the first one to one and a half miles. An old long-standing chapel dating back to the 1940s was destroyed. A 6-ft long 4x6 beam was tossed 150 yards. The main ranch residence suffered considerable damage including complete removal of it's pitched roof that was carried 50 yards to the east northeast. A bunkhouse and other storage buildings sustained significant damage. Winds were estimtated at 110 mph, the upper end of EF-1.
Trained spotter reported downed power lines and debris on the highway west of Chama.
Quarter size hail was reported 2 miles south of Mitchell Ranch headquarters.
Trained spotters' apricot tree was wrecked due to high winds. Most of the leaves were gone after thunderstorm came through.
Dime to quarter size hail, put holes through the screen in patio door.
Two inches of quarter size hail on the ground.
US 84 at the railroad underpass was flooded due to heavy rain and hail. US 84 at mile marker 0.3 was under deep water through the railroad underpass due to heavy rain and hail.
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 historyThe tornado archive for New Mexico, 2014Warnings in New Mexico, September 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: 538171, 538172, 538173, 538174, 538175, 538176, 538180, 538178, 538189, 538195, 538194, 538196, 538581, 538192, 538193, 538186, 538197, 538198, 538199, 538200, 538201, 538203, 538202, 538206, 538204.