Isolated to scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening of the 9th across portions of the eastern plains. A few storms became severe and produced pea to quarter size hail along with damaging winds, including an estimated wind gust of 68 mph near Clayton.
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.
Isolated to scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening of the 9th across portions of the eastern plains. A few storms became severe and produced pea to quarter size hail along with damaging winds, including an estimated wind gust of 68 mph near Clayton. The strong winds resulted in damaged weather equipment, nat least two downed trees, and multiple road signs blown onto roadways.
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 9, 10:54 AM MST, 3 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1154 AM MDT SUN AUG 9 2015 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE A DRY/STABLE AIRMASS FILTERING SE OVER THE NW CORNER OF NM WILL SUPPRESS CONVECTION TODAY. EXCEPTION WILL BE THE SOUTHERN MTS WHERE DEEPER MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE...AND THE NE PLAINS WHERE A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT IS APPROACHING FROM SE COLORADO. MOISTURE WILL SURGE BACK INTO THE AREA TONIGHT AS THICKER MID LEVEL CLOUD COVER AND EXPANDING COVERAGE OF -SHRA/TSRA AFT 02Z...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE FRONTAL INTRUSION OVER EASTERN NM. GAP WINDS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY BEFORE SUNRISE. GUYER && .PREV DISCUSSION...327 AM MDT SUN AUG 9 2015... .SYNOPSIS... AN ACTIVE MONSOON PERIOD WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. PLENTY OF MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL FUEL LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN TODAY. FAR NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN AREAS SHOULD BE FAVORED. STORM COVERAGE WILL INCREASE ON MONDAY AS A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT EDGES IN FROM THE NORTH AND PROVIDES A FOCUS MECHANISM FOR SLOW MOVING STORMS CONTAINING HEAVY RAIN. A DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIRMASS WILL BEGIN TO INVADE THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE SOUTHEAST ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL SHIFT THE MAIN HEAVY RAIN FOCUS TO EXCLUSIVELY NORTHERN AREAS. THIS AIRMASS WILL EVENTUALLY OVERSPREAD MOST OF NORTHERN/CENTRAL NEW MEXICO AND PROVIDE MUCH LESS STORM COVERAGE FOR THE LATTER HALF OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL TREND MUCH HIGHER DURING THIS PERIOD WITH TRIPLE DIGITS RETURNING TO THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS. && .DISCUSSION... THE MAIN CHANGES MADE TO THE GRIDDED FORECAST INCLUDED INCREASED QPF ACROSS THE NORTHEAST HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT AS WELL AS INCREASED SURFACE TEMPS AREAWIDE WEDNESDAY THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND. MODELS STILL INDICATE LESS STORM COVERAGE AND A SLOWER START TO THE INTENSE CONVECTION TODAY. SUSPECT YESTERDAY HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT ALTHOUGH PRECIP WATER VALUES SHOULD LOWER SOME. STORM MOVEMENT WILL BE RATHER SLOW AND THERE WILL STILL BE PLENTY OF ENOUGH MOISTURE AROUND TO INDUCE SOME HEAVY RAINERS. THUS CANT RULE OUT SOME LOCALIZED HYDRO ISSUES. IT APPEARS THAT THE SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN THIRD WOULD BE FAVORED. ALL EYES REMAIN ON MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT. CLASSIC HYDRO ISSUE SCENARIO WITH PWAT/S RISING TO BETWEEN 1 TO 1.3 ALONG AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MTNS. A SUBTLE BUT DISTINCT BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WOULD PROVIDE ONE OF THE FOCUSING MECHANISMS FOR TRAINING/SLOW MOVING STORMS. THE OTHER MECHANISM WOULD BE A VERY MOIST AND FAIRLY UNSTABLE SOUTHEAST UPSLOPE FLOW ALONG THE CENTRAL MTNS. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN POINTING TOWARDS A HEAVIER QPF MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS SO CONFIDENCE HAS INCREASED ENOUGH TO ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH. TOP SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS ARE MIXED WITH A BROADLY DRIER NE PLAINS COMPARED TO A LITTLE MORE MOIST CENTRAL MTN AREA. LOWERED HIGH TEMPS A BIT BELOW MODEL GUIDANCE TO ACCOUNT FOR HEAVY CLOUD COVER THAT IS EXPECTED ON MONDAY. MODELS CONTINUE TO REMAIN BULLISH FOR A DRIER/MORE STABLE AIRMASS INVADING THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST. THIS IS WHEN THE UPPER HIGH MOVES BACK OVER THE STATE AND INTENSIFIES. THE MAIN HEAVY RAIN FOCUS WILL SHIFT NORTHWARD AND PRIMARILY IMPACT THE NORTHERN THIRD TO HALF OF THE AREA. DID UP POPS ACROSS THE ABQ METRO AREA TUESDAY BECAUSE OF THE SLOW SOUTH/SOUTHEAST STEERING FLOW AND ABQ BEING ON THE EDGE OF A DRY TO MOIST TRANSITION. EITHER WAY...THE NORTHERN TIER WILL REMAIN UNDER THE GUN FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND THE WATCH MAY NEED TO GET EXTENDED IN TIME. WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY APPEAR TO BE DOWN DAYS IN TERMS OF THE MONSOON PERIOD WITH MUCH WARMER/DRIER CONDITIONS. THE UPPER HIGH SHOULD SQUARELY BE OVERHEAD AND BE QUITE STRONG. LONG RANGE MODELS HAVE BEEN SHOWING THIS TREND FOR SEVERAL DAYS. HEDGED SURFACE TEMPS HIGHER...BOTH DAY/NIGHT MOST AREAS ALTHOUGH LOWERED MIN TEMPS AT ANGEL FIRE/EAGLE NEST DUE TO ANTICIPATED DRIER CONDITIONS NEAR THE SURFACE. IT APPEARS THAT THE SEMISTATIONARY UPPER HIGH WOULD EVENTUALLY BEGIN TO DRAW SOME MOISTURE BACK INTO IT AS WELL AS WEAKEN FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. THIS MEANS MORE NORMAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS FAVORING THE HIGHER TERRAIN. DAY TO DAY FLUCTUATIONS IN THE STEERING FLOW WOULD DETERMINE WHO GETS IMPACTED IN TERMS OF LOWER LYING AREAS. STILL HEDGED SURFACE TEMPS HIGHER THAN WHAT THE MODELS INDICATE FOR THIS PERIOD. 50 && .FIRE WEATHER... MINIMUM HUMIDITIES WILL TREND DOWNWARD AROUND 5 TO 15 DEGREES ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN AREAS TODAY AS DRIER AIR ENTERS THE STATE FROM THE NORTHWEST IN THE WAKE OF AN UPPER TROUGH EXITING THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN SMALLER WETTING RAIN FOOTPRINTS FROM MAINLY ISOLATED SHOWERS AND STORMS...EXCEPT FROM THE SANGRES EASTWARD AND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HIGH TERRAIN WHERE MAINLY SCATTERED STORMS WITH BETTER WETTING FOOTPRINTS ARE EXPECTED. A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL ENTER THE NORTHEAST TODAY...AND MONSOON MOISTURE WILL TRY TO HANG TIGHT OVER THE SOUTHERN FRINGE OF THE FORECAST AREA. STORM MOTIONS WILL BE SLOWER TODAY...GENERALLY TOWARD THE EAST AT 5 TO 15 MPH. THE MONSOON MOISTURE PLUME WILL MAKE A RESURGENCE OVER WESTERN AREAS MONDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DROPS SOUTHWARD OFF THE NW COAST. LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE UNDER THIS FEATURE WILL DRAW THE BACK DOOR COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF NM BY EVENING WITH A GUSTY E CANYON WIND DEVELOPING IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE COMMON ON MONDAY AND MONDAY EVENING...WITH THE BEST PRECIP CHANCES FROM THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE OF NW NM EASTWARD TO THE NM BORDER WITH OK AND TX. BROAD COVERAGE OF 1 TO 1.75 INCH RAIN AMOUNTS IS LIKELY ALONG AND EAST OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS AND FLASH FLOODING POSSIBLE DUE TO PERSISTENT MOIST EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW. WITH AN UPPER HIGH CENTERED OVER THE TX PANHANDLE MONDAY...STORM MOTIONS SHOULD GENERALLY BE TOWARD THE NORTH OR NORTHWEST IN THE 10-20 MPH RANGE...EXCEPT IN THE 5-10 MPH RANGE ACROSS NE AND E CENTRAL AREAS WHERE MORE RANDOM DIRECTIONS OF MOVEMENT ARE EXPECTED. TUESDAY THE UPPER HIGH CENTER WILL TRY TO SHIFT WESTWARD OVER E NM...BUT THE LOW REMAINING STATIONARY OFF THE W COAST MAY PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. EITHER WAY...MODELS DEPICT A DRY SLOT WRAPPING AROUND THE UPPER HIGH AND OVER S CENTRAL AND SE PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE SE. THIS SHOULD EFFECTIVELY CAP SIGNIFICANT WETTING CONVECTION THERE. HOWEVER...THE MONSOON MOISTURE PLUME IS EXPECTED TO KEEP WETTING THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVE AS IT MOVES NORTHWARD ALONG THE AZ/NM BORDER AND NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE NM/CO BORDER. RAIN AMOUNTS IN THE 0.25 TO 0.75 INCH RANGE MAY BE COMMON NEAR THE NM/CO BORDER TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH GENERALLY LIGHTER BUT STILL WETTING AMOUNTS ALONG THE NM/AZ BORDER. HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT DROP BETWEEN NORMAL AND 5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL ON MONDAY WILL PERSIST ON TUESDAY. THE GFS AND ECMWF DEPICT THE UPPER HIGH CENTER MOVING MORE SQUARELY OVER NM WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THEN THERE IS SOME DISAGREEMENT ON WHETHER IT WILL SHIFT OVER THE FOUR CORNERS BY SATURDAY. MUCH DRIER AND HOTTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGHS LOOK TO PEAK AROUND 5 TO 11 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH THE GREATEST ANOMALIES ACROSS SOUTHEAST AREAS. AN UPPER LOW PASSING EASTWARD NORTH OF THE CANADIAN BORDER FRIDAY AND SATURDAY LOOKS TO DRAW SOME BETTER MOISTURE NORTHWARD UNDER THE UPPER HIGH ON THOSE DAYS CAUSING AN UPWARD TREND IN THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE. HOWEVER...HIGH TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL. POCKETS OF POOR VENTILATION ARE FORECAST OVER WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST AREAS THURSDAY...THEN ACROSS CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND EAST CENTRAL AREAS FRIDAY. SOME OF THESE COULD LINGER INTO SATURDAY. 44 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ512>515-518-521>523-527>534. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 555 AM MDT SUN AUG 9 2015 NMZ501>540-101200- 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- 555 AM MDT SUN AUG 9 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE AND FAVOR THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST TIER OF THE FORECAST AREA. SOME MINOR FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS A GOOD PORTION OF NORTHERN/CENTRAL NEW MEXICO MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT BUT THE FAVORED AREAS WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE NORTHEAST THIRD TO HALF. THIS IS WHERE LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLASH FLOODING MAY OCCUR AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT. A RESIDUAL HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL EXIST ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD TUESDAY/TUESDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 50
The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 153 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:06 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
The Roswell airport ASOS recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph.
SHAVE reported nickel size hail near Ranchvale.
Fire chief reported a 68 mph wind gust at the fire station. This wind blew down 2 trees in a nearby alley as well as the personal weather station on site.
Fire chief reported thunderstorm wind damage on the east side of Clayton, mainly along U.S. highway 56. The most notable damage was road signs being blown onto the roadways. Heavy rain and pea size hail was also reported in this area.
The Clayton municipal airport measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 62 mph.
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: 586877, 586880, 586878, 586881, 586879.