Several strong to severe thunderstorms drifted northeast across far northeastern New Mexico. These storms produced several rounds of hail around Raton and numerous funnel clouds from Raton to near Des Moines.
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.
Several strong to severe thunderstorms drifted northeast across far northeastern New Mexico. These storms produced several rounds of hail around Raton and numerous funnel clouds from Raton to near Des Moines. One particularly strong storm produced accumulations of dime to penny size hail in Raton. Heavy rainfall was also reported with this activity.
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 26, 2:19 PM MST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 319 PM MDT TUE MAY 26 2015 .SYNOPSIS... UNSETTLED WEATHER WITH NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO THE REST OF TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A GULF OF MEXICO MOISTURE SURGE WILL COMBINE WITH A PACIFIC TROUGH PASSAGE LATE WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT AND INCREASE CHANCES ACROSS THE EAST. HEAVIER RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THAT ACTIVITY. A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE INTO THE PLAINS FROM THE NORTH FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY AND PROVIDE A STRONGER FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. RESIDUAL IMPACTS WILL LAST INTO SUNDAY AS THE FRONT OR DRYLINE RETREATS BACK TO THE EAST. && .DISCUSSION... BASED ON CURRENT VISIBLE SATELLITE AND MOSAIC RADAR IMAGERY...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE INITIALLY FORMED OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. SW AREAS LOOK TO BE A LITTLE SLOW TO DEVELOP BUT SUSPECT THE CIRRUS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT. EITHER WAY...DOWN DAY COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. MODELS SHOW THE MAIN FOCUS ACROSS THE NE THIRD AND HAVE THE HIGHEST POPS THERE TO REFLECT THAT ACTIVITY. THE PACIFIC TROUGH SHOULD DEVELOP TO THE WEST OF THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. DRIER AIR WILL INITIALLY PUMP INTO SW AREAS SO REDUCED POPS THERE. ACTIVITY SHOULD BE VIGOROUS ENOUGH ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER. ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO FILTER UP FROM THE SOUTH AND BEGIN TO SHARPEN THE DRYLINE ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. IT IS SURPRISING THE NAM ISNT MORE BULLISH FOR THURSDAY MORNING LIKE THE GFS IS. WENT A LITTLE MORE TOWARDS THE GFS BASED ON THE PATTERN BUT WORTH WATCHING. DIDNT GO HOG WILD THOUGH. THE SURFACE DRYLINE SHOULD BE PRETTY PRONOUNCED ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS ON THURSDAY. AT THE SAME TIME...A WEAK PACIFIC TROUGH WILL MOVE FURTHER EAST AND BE FOUND OVER THE STATE. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL DESTABILIZE ACCORDINGLY. BASED ON THE PATTERN CANT RULE OUT SOME ISOLD SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS. LATEST SPC DAY 3 OUTLOOK SUPPORTS AT LEAST A MARGINAL SHOT. ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE BUT ONCE AGAIN...GFS IS MORE BULLISH THAN THE NAM. THE ACTIVITY SHOULD CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY NIGHT AS THE BROAD TROUGH MOVES FURTHER EAST AND WEAKENS. WESTERN AREAS WILL BE MUCH DRIER DURING THIS PERIOD. A BRIEF RESPITE IS EXPECTED WITH MAINLY ISOLD ACTIVITY ON FRIDAY BUT A STRONGER BACK DOOR COLD FRONT SHOULD PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR HEAVIER SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. A WEAK SHORTWAVE COMBINED WITH THE BACK DOOR COULD PROVIDE A ROUND OF SEVERE WEATHER SO WILL BE WATCHING THAT TREND. BASED ON THE STRENGTH OF THE BACK DOOR..SUSPECT FAR EASTERN AREAS WILL EVENTUALLY GET TOO STABLE ON SATURDAY. THE FRONT AND RESIDUAL DRYLINE SHOULD PUSH BACK TO THE EAST ON SUNDAY AND PROVIDE BETTER CHANCES ACROSS THE PLAINS DURING THAT PERIOD. AREAS ALONG THE DIVIDE TO THE CENTRAL MTNS SHOULD BE THE FOCUS FOR STORMS DURING THE DAY PERIOD ON SATURDAY. HIGH TEMPS WILL PLUMMET BACK TO BELOW NORMAL...ESPECIALLY WELL BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE EAST...DURING THIS TIME FRAME. HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE IN THE FORECAST ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. CONFIDENCE IS MODERATE TO HIGH FOR THIS EVENT TO UNFOLD BECAUSE THE MODELS HAVE BEEN INDICATING IT FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE DIFFERENT THOUGH AS FAR AS THE STRENGTH OF THE COLD FRONT AND TIMING. ECMWF/GFS APPEAR TO BE ON BOARD WITH THE LATEST RUN. PROBABLY WILL SEE THE FRONTAL INTRUSION AS FAR WEST AS THE AZ STATE LINE IF NOT BEYOND. THUNDERSTORM CONVECTION WILL AID THIS PUSH WESTWARD AND SOMETIMES THE MODELS HAVE A HARDER TIME ACCOUNTING FOR THAT. 50 && .FIRE WEATHER... DRIER AIR ALOFT HAS MADE IT INTO WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO TODAY. MOST DEVELOPING CUMULUS CLOUDS LOSING OUT TO DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT. STILL EXPECTING ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS...ESPECIALLY WESTERN AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. NAM INDICATING SHOWERS OR STORMS COULD CONTINUE TO LINGER PAST SUNSET OVER THE NORTHWEST PLATEAU. FLOW ALOFT TRANSITIONS TO SOUTHWESTERLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. WARMEST TEMPS IN QUITE SOMETIME REMAIN ON TRACK FOR WEDNESDAY. WELL BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AS OF LATE WILL MAKE NEAR AVERAGE TEMPS FEEL DOWN RIGHT VERY WARM TO HOT. SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL RESULT IN WEAK SURFACE LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHEAST NM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. RESULTING SURFACE CONVERGENCE NEAR THE LOW CENTER WILL RESULT IN ISOLATED TO PERHAPS SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS EAST-NORTHEASTWARD TO THE FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ALL MODELS REMAIN ON TRACK FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH APPROACHES FROM NM FROM THE WEST...LOW LEVEL GULF MOISTURE WILL SURGE NORTHWESTWARD FROM CENTRAL TX INTO THE EASTERN PLAINS LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THIS AREA WILL BE THE FAVORED AREA FOR THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING. WEST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN...DRY AIR ALOFT EXPECTED TO WIN OUT. GFS AND ECMWF BOTH ON BOARD BRINGING A STRONG BACKDOOR COLD FRONT THROUGH ERN NM FRIDAY EVENING AND THEN WWD INTO THE RGV AND BEYOND LATE FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING. THIS FRONT AND THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE BEHIND IT...SET THE STAGE FOR A WEAK SHORT-WAVE TROUGH MOVING EWD THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES SATURDAY. BOTH MODELS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT WETTING PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL NEW MEXICO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. MODELS ALSO TRENDING FARTHER WEST WITH CONVECTION SATURDAY EVENING...MOST LIKELY AS FAR WEST AS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. VENTILATION RATES REMAIN GOOD TO EXCELLENT THROUGH FRIDAY...THEN DECREASE BEHIND THE BACKDOOR FRONT SATURDAY. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES DROP BELOW 15 PERCENT OVER MUCH OF WESTERN NEW MEXICO WEDNESDAY AND REMAIN THAT WAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NAM AND GFS BOTH PROGGING HIGH HAINES AND BREEZY CONDITIONS EACH AFTERNOON WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY IN THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS BUT WITH ERC VALUES BELOW TO WELL BELOW AVERAGE...NOT ANTICIPATING ANY MAJOR CONCERNS FOR THE ONE REGION OF THE FORECAST AREA THAT HAS NOT HAD WELL ABOVE AVG PRECIPITATION. 33 && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE DRIER AIR ALOFT MOVES INTO THE STATE FROM THE WEST TODAY BUT ENOUGH LOW AND MID LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS FOR ISOLD-WDLY SCT AFTERNOON CONVECTION...MAINLY OVER THE WESTERN AND NRN MOUNTAINS. 12Z MODELS SHOW LINGERING EVENING SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NW PLATEAU INCLUDING KFMN BTWN 2703Z/2706Z. OTHERWISE...MOST AREAS WILL SEE DIMINISHING SHOWERS AND STORMS DURING THE EVENING WITH MID CLOUDS DISSIPATING GRADUALLY AFTER SUNSET. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 47 80 49 81 / 20 5 10 10 DULCE........................... 38 74 39 77 / 20 10 20 20 CUBA............................ 41 75 43 77 / 20 10 10 20 GALLUP.......................... 39 78 40 79 / 10 10 5 0 EL MORRO........................ 39 75 38 75 / 10 10 5 10 GRANTS.......................... 39 78 40 79 / 20 10 10 10 QUEMADO......................... 42 77 42 77 / 20 10 5 5 GLENWOOD........................ 46 82 46 83 / 5 5 0 5 CHAMA........................... 33 69 37 71 / 20 20 50 30 LOS ALAMOS...................... 44 76 46 77 / 20 20 10 30 PECOS........................... 42 76 44 77 / 10 20 5 40 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 38 73 38 75 / 20 20 20 30 RED RIVER....................... 35 63 37 65 / 30 30 20 40 ANGEL FIRE...................... 36 68 36 70 / 20 40 30 40 TAOS............................ 38 74 39 76 / 10 20 10 20 MORA............................ 40 73 42 75 / 10 30 20 50 ESPANOLA........................ 43 81 44 82 / 20 10 5 20 SANTA FE........................ 45 77 46 78 / 20 10 5 30 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 46 79 47 80 / 10 10 5 20 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 52 81 53 82 / 20 5 0 10 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 55 82 56 83 / 20 5 0 10 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 54 84 54 85 / 20 5 0 5 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 51 83 52 84 / 20 5 5 10 LOS LUNAS....................... 53 85 53 86 / 10 5 0 5 RIO RANCHO...................... 51 82 52 84 / 20 5 5 10 SOCORRO......................... 52 86 53 87 / 10 5 0 0 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 49 77 51 78 / 10 10 0 20 TIJERAS......................... 50 80 51 81 / 10 10 0 20 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 45 79 47 79 / 10 10 0 20 CLINES CORNERS.................. 47 78 48 78 / 10 10 5 30 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 48 80 51 80 / 10 10 0 30 CARRIZOZO....................... 52 82 53 81 / 5 5 0 20 RUIDOSO......................... 52 76 50 74 / 10 10 10 50 CAPULIN......................... 46 77 49 77 / 30 30 20 40 RATON........................... 44 78 46 79 / 30 40 20 40 SPRINGER........................ 44 80 46 82 / 20 30 20 40 LAS VEGAS....................... 44 77 45 77 / 10 20 5 40 CLAYTON......................... 51 84 56 77 / 30 20 20 40 ROY............................. 49 81 52 78 / 10 20 20 40 CONCHAS......................... 51 88 55 85 / 10 10 20 40 SANTA ROSA...................... 51 87 53 85 / 10 10 10 40 TUCUMCARI....................... 55 89 60 83 / 10 10 20 50 CLOVIS.......................... 56 86 59 79 / 5 10 40 50 PORTALES........................ 56 88 60 80 / 5 10 40 50 FORT SUMNER..................... 55 88 59 82 / 5 10 20 40 ROSWELL......................... 57 91 61 84 / 5 10 30 50 PICACHO......................... 52 87 52 83 / 5 10 20 40 ELK............................. 52 82 52 79 / 10 10 30 50 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 530 AM MDT TUE MAY 26 2015 NMZ501>540-271200- 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- 530 AM MDT TUE MAY 26 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A SURGE OF MOISTURE IS EXPECTED INTO EASTERN NEW MEXICO WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. THIS COULD INITIATE A PERIOD OF SCATTERED TO WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH PERHAPS SOME STRONG STORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE WETTER CONDITIONS MAY CONTINUE THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND AS A FRONT PUSHES INTO THE REGION FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 176 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:29 UTC.
2 hail, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
At least three storms moved through Raton and each produced light accumulations of pea to dime size hail. The heaviest storm produced penny size hail.
Hail accumulated several inches deep.
Numerous reports of a funnel cloud were received with a strong thunderstorm near Des Moines.
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, May 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: 568285, 568286, 569193.