A well-defined moisture plume surged back east over New Mexico as an upper level trough migrated eastward into California. Scattered showers and thunderstorms that developed along the Continental Divide battled the low level dry air from the previous several days.
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.
A well-defined moisture plume surged back east over New Mexico as an upper level trough migrated eastward into California. Scattered showers and thunderstorms that developed along the Continental Divide battled the low level dry air from the previous several days. A storm crossed the area around El Morro and produced a severe downburst wind along State Road 53. Spotters estimated wind speeds topping well over 60 mph.
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 Aug 7, 2:20 PM MST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 320 PM MDT FRI AUG 7 2015 .SYNOPSIS... UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE HAS SHIFTED EAST OF NEW MEXICO...ALLOWING SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE TO STREAM INTO THE STATE. THIS HAS LED TO INCREASED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH HIGHER PROBABILITIES OF PRECIPITATION EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY. THE EASTERN PLAINS OF THE STATE WILL OBSERVE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF STORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING...KEEPING TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE AVERAGE WITH TRIPLE DIGIT READINGS IN SOME AREAS. STORMS WILL STRUGGLE TO SPREAD FARTHER EAST INTO THE WEEKEND...AND TEMPERATURES WILL OBSERVE ONLY A SUBTLE DECLINE. && .DISCUSSION... TODAY'S CROP OF THUNDERSTORMS IS BEGINNING TO BLOSSOM AS THE ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZES AND SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE IS STEERED BETWEEN THE UPPER HIGH TO OUR EAST AND THE TROUGH OVER CA/NV. A SPEED MAX ALOFT IS PRECEDING THE TROUGH TO THE WEST...BUT SHOULD CONTINUE TO LARGELY BYPASS NM. A FEW STRONGER CELLS IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE WILL BE POSSIBLE INTO THE EVENING DUE TO HIGHER SPEEDS ALOFT AND BETTER EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR. STORMS WILL FAVOR THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE STATE INTO TONIGHT WITH CELLS BEING LESS NUMEROUS INTO THE CENTRAL ZONES. HIGHER DEWPOINTS HAVE ADVECTED INTO THE STATE...AND TOP DOWN MOISTENING AND PRECIPITATION SHOULD ALLOW THIS TREND TO CONTINUE TONIGHT. THUS...ANGEL FIRE IS NOT EXPECTED TO FALL TO THE FREEZING MARK AS IT DID THIS MORNING...AND CONSEQUENTLY TONIGHT'S MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FORECAST IS NOT AS LOW. SATURDAY IS STILL EXPECTED TO BE AN ACTIVE DAY WITH THE UPPER HIGH NOT MOVING OR ALTERING MUCH. AS THE CA/NV TROUGH MOVES INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES...IT WILL LARGELY LOSE STRENGTH/DEFINITION...LEAVING A RATHER MODEST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER PARTS OF NM. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES WILL CONTINUE TO RISE...GENERALLY BETWEEN A 1 TO 1.2 INCH RANGE...ALTHOUGH THE NAM DOES HAVE A RATHER NOISY PLACEMENT OF SOME HIGHER DEWPOINTS IN SOME CENTRAL PORTIONS OF NM. DO THINK THERE WILL BE SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHERE THESE MESOSCALE POCKETS SET UP AND ARE ADVECTED NORTHWARD WITH POTENTIAL EMBEDDED SHORT WAVE TROUGHS. STORM MOTION STILL APPEARS TO BE RATHER QUICK WITH MEAN 700-500 MB LAYER WINDS RISING TO 15 TO 20 KT SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WOULD HELP MITIGATE FLOODING POTENTIAL...BUT THERE IS ALWAYS THE POSSIBILITY OF CONVECTIVELY INDUCED PERTURBATIONS ALTERING OR SLOWING DOWN THIS FLOW ON MESOSCALE LEVELS AND PERHAPS SOME TRAINING CELLS. HAVE SPREAD POPS INTO ALL OF THE EASTERN TIER OF NM FOR SATURDAY DUE TO HIGH THETA-E PROGS...BUT OUTSIDE OF AND PRIOR TO DEVELOPMENT OF CONVECTION THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOKING AGAIN. SOME MORE TRIPLE DIGITS ARE FORECAST. INTO SUNDAY THE UPPER HIGH IS NOT EXPECTED TO ALTER TOO MUCH...BUT THE WINDS ALOFT OVER NM WILL REDUCE IN SPEED AND VEER IN DIRECTION SOME. THIS WILL ALLOW THE SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE PLUME TO LAY OVER SOME...SPREADING MORE INTO NORTHEASTERN SECTIONS OF NM. ALSO...A BACK DOOR FRONT WILL ENTER THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE STATE AT SOME POINT. TRUE TO FORM...THE NAM IS FASTER AND MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THIS BOUNDARY INTRUSION WHEN COMPARED TO ITS GFS COUNTERPART. HAVE SIDED MORE WITH THE NAM MODEL...AND HAVE KEPT HIGHER POPS IN THE NORTHEAST DUE TO SURFACE CONVERGENCE AND SOME UPSLOPE FLOW EAST OF THE SANGRES. A TEMPERATURE DROP OF ONLY A FEW DEGREES IS EXPECTED IN THE NORTHEAST SUNDAY...AND THE EAST CENTRAL TO SOUTHEASTERN PLAINS WILL CONTINUE TO REACH THE MID TO UPPER 90S AND PERHAPS EVEN A FEW 100'S. THE ALTERATION OF THE MOISTURE PLUME AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL THEN SET THE STAGE TO BE MOST ACTIVE ALONG THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN OF NM ON MONDAY WITH A SECONDARY FOCAL POINT OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN IMMEDIATELY WEST OF THE RIO GRANDE AND TOWARD THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. WINDS BEHIND SUNDAY'S FRONT WOULD VEER WITH AN UPSLOPE COMPONENT OVER THESE FOCAL POINTS. WITH A HEALTHY COVERAGE OF NUMEROUS STORMS ANTICIPATED...AND PWATS REMAINING HEALTHY IF NOT EVEN HIGHER THAN OVER THE WEEKEND...THE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT WILLL PERSIST AND PERHAPS AMPLIFY FOR MONDAY. BY TUESDAY THE HIGH REPOSITIONS ITSELF CLOSER TO THE EASTERN NM AND WEST TX BORDER WITH A SPOKE OF DRIER AIR WRAPPING INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN HALF OF THE STATE. THIS WILL CONFINE STORMS TO THE NORTHWESTERN HALF WITH OVERALL LESS COVERAGE EXPECTED WITHIN THIS SECTOR. A DAY-BY-DAY DRYING TREND STILL APPEARS TO FINISH UP THE WORK WEEK WITH THE HIGH BUILDING BACK DIRECTLY OVER THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT. && .FIRE WEATHER... THE MONSOONAL PLUME IS ALMOST BACK...CURRENTLY DRAPED ALONG THE AZ/NM BORDER...AS MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON. AS STORMS MOVE TO THE NE...LOCALIZED WETTING RAINS WILL BE POSSIBLE AND WILL AID RH RECOVERIES ALONG WITH CONTINUED TOP DOWN MOISTENING. THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH CENTER WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT EAST SATURDAY BEFORE STAGNATING ON SUNDAY. THIS PATTERN WILL RESULT IN THE MOISTURE PLUME BEING ALIGNED OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL NM SATURDAY...THEN SHIFTING SLIGHTLY OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN NM SUNDAY. THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY IN NE NM ON SUNDAY IS STILL TOUGH TO PIN DOWN AS MODEL TIMING/STRENGTH OF A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT LIMITS CONFIDENCE. THE FASTER/STRONGER NAM PROGRESSION WOULD ALLOW FOR MORE ROBUST STORMS IN THE AREA...BUT THE GFS IS SLOWER/WEAKER AND THUS LIMITS THE AMOUNT OF CONVECTION. THAT SAID...TEMPERATURES WILL TREND DOWN SATURDAY BEFORE CHANGING LITTLE SUNDAY. VENT RATES SATURDAY WILL DROP ACROSS THE WEST...AND ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA SUNDAY AS POCKETS OF POOR VENT RATES DEVELOP WITHIN THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN HIGH TERRAIN. THE BACKDOOR COLD FRONT ISSUES MODEL ISSUES EXTEND INTO MONDAY MORNING IN REGARDS TO THE WESTERN EXTENT OF THE SURFACE EASTERLY WINDS...BUT THE EFFECTS ON PRECIPITATION BETWEEN MODEL SOLUTIONS APPEARS MINIMAL. AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL FAVOR CENTRAL AND NE NM. THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH CENTER WILL BEGIN SHIFTING WEST MONDAY...RESULTING IN SLOWER STORM MOTIONS AND BETTER CHANCES FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. VENT RATES WILL IMPROVE AREA WIDE WHILE HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL HOVER WITHIN A FEW DEGREES ON NORMAL. THE MOISTURE PLUME TAP WILL QUICKLY BE SHUTOFF TUESDAY THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH CENTER WILL SHIFT OVER THE STATE AS THE COMBINATION OF DRIER AIR DRAGGED IN BY THE HIGH AND SUBSIDENCE UNDERNEATH THE HIGH SQUEEZE OUT THE MOISTURE. A FEW AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY...BUT WETTING RAINS WILL BE HARD TO COME BY. DAYTIME HIGHS WILL SLOWLY TREND UP AND BECOME NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL AREAWIDE THURSDAY. GOOD VENT RATES WILL HANG AROUND BEFORE DROPPING THURSDAY...WITH FAIR TO POOR CONDITIONS RETURNING TO PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN NM. THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT TO SUPPLY A MOISTURE SOURCE LATE THURSDAY...BUT LITTLE MODEL TO MODEL CONSISTENCY MAKES THIS MORE OF A HOPE AT THIS POINT. && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE MOISTURE IS INCREASING AS IT WORKS AROUND THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH..AS EVIDENCED BY THE SMATTERING OF LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS W AND NW NM. THESE AREAS...ALONG WITH MORE ISO ACTIVITY ALONG CENTRAL MTS...WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR INCREASED SHRA AND TSRA ACTIVITY THIS AFTN/EVE AS STORMS INITIATE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND MOVE NE AROUND 10 TO 15 MPH. THE LOCALIZED NATURE OF THESE STORMS PLUS TIMING RESULTS IN LOWERED CONFIDENCE ON ANY TERMINAL IMPACTS WITH ONLY A FEW SITES HAVING VCTS. GUSTY WINDS AND MVFR VSBYS/CIGS DUE TO HEAVIER RAIN WILL BE LIKELY IMPACTS WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS MAY PERSIST THRU OVERNIGHT HOURS ACROSS THE WEST...BUT GENERALLY DISSIPATE BY SAT MORNING. 24 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 61 85 58 88 / 50 30 40 10 DULCE........................... 52 77 48 83 / 70 60 40 40 CUBA............................ 54 79 53 80 / 50 50 50 30 GALLUP.......................... 56 79 53 82 / 60 60 40 30 EL MORRO........................ 53 76 51 79 / 50 60 50 50 GRANTS.......................... 55 78 53 80 / 50 50 50 60 QUEMADO......................... 55 77 53 78 / 50 60 50 50 GLENWOOD........................ 59 82 58 83 / 30 40 50 40 CHAMA........................... 48 75 45 78 / 60 60 40 50 LOS ALAMOS...................... 62 79 60 81 / 40 70 60 40 PECOS........................... 57 80 55 81 / 20 40 50 40 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 52 78 49 78 / 20 40 30 30 RED RIVER....................... 43 71 45 70 / 20 60 40 50 ANGEL FIRE...................... 44 74 46 73 / 30 70 40 50 TAOS............................ 54 80 51 80 / 20 30 30 30 MORA............................ 53 79 52 77 / 20 60 60 50 ESPANOLA........................ 59 84 56 86 / 20 40 50 20 SANTA FE........................ 60 80 58 83 / 20 30 40 30 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 60 82 57 85 / 20 30 40 20 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 64 84 62 86 / 20 40 40 20 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 68 86 65 88 / 20 30 40 20 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 62 88 60 90 / 20 30 40 20 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 63 88 61 89 / 20 40 40 20 LOS LUNAS....................... 64 88 62 88 / 20 30 40 10 RIO RANCHO...................... 64 87 63 88 / 20 30 40 20 SOCORRO......................... 65 90 62 90 / 20 30 40 20 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 60 81 59 83 / 20 40 50 30 TIJERAS......................... 60 83 59 85 / 20 40 50 20 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 56 85 55 87 / 20 30 30 20 CLINES CORNERS.................. 58 82 58 82 / 20 30 40 30 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 59 84 58 85 / 10 30 40 30 CARRIZOZO....................... 61 89 61 88 / 10 30 40 30 RUIDOSO......................... 54 80 56 80 / 10 40 40 50 CAPULIN......................... 58 87 57 84 / 10 30 40 30 RATON........................... 58 89 57 86 / 10 30 40 30 SPRINGER........................ 60 91 59 87 / 10 30 40 30 LAS VEGAS....................... 56 84 56 83 / 10 30 40 30 CLAYTON......................... 65 94 65 90 / 5 20 30 30 ROY............................. 60 90 60 89 / 10 30 30 30 CONCHAS......................... 68 97 68 96 / 5 20 30 20 SANTA ROSA...................... 66 95 65 94 / 10 30 30 20 TUCUMCARI....................... 69 99 68 97 / 5 20 20 20 CLOVIS.......................... 68 96 68 95 / 5 10 20 20 PORTALES........................ 69 97 70 96 / 5 10 20 20 FORT SUMNER..................... 69 97 68 97 / 5 20 30 20 ROSWELL......................... 70 100 70 100 / 5 20 30 20 PICACHO......................... 64 93 64 92 / 10 30 30 30 ELK............................. 62 86 62 85 / 10 40 40 40 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 52
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 559 AM MDT FRI AUG 7 2015 NMZ501>540-081200- 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 CRISTOS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTOS ABOVE 9500 FEET- EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- LOWER CHAMA RIVER VALLEY-SANTA FE METRO AREA- MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY/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- 559 AM MDT FRI AUG 7 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONG WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY 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 IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 44
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:14 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotter reported an intense burst of wind blew over several light weight objects on the property, including lawn furniture and a dog house. The dog was not injured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2015
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: 585890.