Hail in New Mexico, October 19, 2015

Name: Hail in New Mexico, October 19, 2015
Start: 2015-10-19T06:12
End: 2015-10-19T18:56
Location: New Mexico

October 19, 2015 · NWS ABQ · 9 events in 6 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS ABQ wrote it up.

An upper level low pressure system that slowly moved southward through California provided deep southerly flow over New Mexico. Subtropical moisture surged northward ahead of this system in several waves over New Mexico. The first wave of moisture and instability moved over the area early on October 19th and created severe thunderstorms from the predawn hours through the late morning. A couple inches of severe hail moved over Socorro and impacted travel along Interstate 25. Storms continued to develop through the morning and impacted areas of Valencia and Chaves counties with mainly nickel to quarter sized hail. Another round of thunderstorms with large hail impacted the region later in the day around Los Alamos, Espanola, and parts of the eastern plains.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 19, 5:04 AM MST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 19, 5:04 AM MST, 1 hour 8 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 19, 4:27 AM MST, 1 hour 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
527 AM MDT MON OCT 19 2015

NMZ501>540-201200-
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-
527 AM MDT MON OCT 19 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL
NEW MEXICO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME LOCALLY STRONG WITH GUSTY
WINDS...HAIL...AND HEAVY RAINFALL TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
TUESDAY NIGHT OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO.

WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN AND LOCALLY STRONG STORMS ARE LIKELY FOR
THE ENTIRE AREA WEDNESDAY THEN AGAIN OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO
THURSDAY. EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO MAY LEAD TO
AREAS OF FLASH FLOODING...PARTICULARLY WITHIN URBAN DRAINAGES AND
LOW LYING AREAS. ELEVATED FLOWS AND SOME MINOR RIVER FLOODING ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE PECOS AND CANADIAN RIVER BASINS.

TEMPERATURES MAY BECOME COLD ENOUGH FOR SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW
ABOVE 11000 FT WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOWEVER IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE
MINOR.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

GUYER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 19, 1:55 AM MST, 4 hours 17 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 19, 3:51 AM MST, 2 hours 21 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 19, 6:05 AM MST, 7 minutes before

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The radar

The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Socorro

When: October 19, 6:12 AM MST to 6:15 AM MST
Where: Socorro County, 0.86 mi NNE of (Onm)socorro Arpt
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 34.031, -106.892

Hail, Socorro

When: October 19, 6:18 AM MST to 6:22 AM MST
Where: Socorro County, 1.45 mi SSE of Socorro
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.041, -106.889

Hail, Valencia

When: October 19, 2:13 PM MST to 2:16 PM MST
Where: Valencia County, Belen
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 34.660, -106.780

Picture forwarded through local media showing dime to nickel size hail.

Hail, Chaves

When: October 19, 2:41 PM MST to 2:48 PM MST
Where: Chaves County, 9.81 mi W of Roswell
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 33.380, -104.690

Hail, Guadalupe

When: October 19, 2:53 PM MST to 2:56 PM MST
Where: Guadalupe County, 6.49 mi SSE of Cuervo
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 34.950, -104.340

Hail, Chaves

When: October 19, 3:04 PM MST to 3:08 PM MST
Where: Chaves County, 10.41 mi W of Roswell
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 33.370, -104.700

Hail, Los Alamos

When: October 19, 6:15 PM MST to 6:22 PM MST
Where: Los Alamos County, Los Alamos
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.890, -106.310

Penny to nickel size hail covered the ground.

Hail, Los Alamos

When: October 19, 6:30 PM MST to 6:35 PM MST
Where: Los Alamos County, Los Alamos
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.890, -106.310

Hail, Rio Arriba

When: October 19, 6:53 PM MST to 6:56 PM MST
Where: Rio Arriba County, 3 mi SW of Espanola
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.969, -106.108

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, October 2015

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 599584, 599585, 599596, 599586, 599588, 599587, 599589, 599590, 599608.