A slow-moving upper level low pressure system over Arizona helped force a strong back door cold front westward through gaps in the central mountain chain during the early morning hours of the 1st. The strongest winds impacted the Albuquerque Metro Area from Placitas southward to the Albuquerque Sunport and Belen.
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 slow-moving upper level low pressure system over Arizona helped force a strong back door cold front westward through gaps in the central mountain chain during the early morning hours of the 1st. The strongest winds impacted the Albuquerque Metro Area from Placitas southward to the Albuquerque Sunport and Belen. Sustained winds at the Sunport reached 40 mph with gusts up to 51 mph. The area below Embudo Canyon in the northeast heights reported the strongest wind gusts of 67 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 Apr 30, 10:36 PM MST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1136 PM MDT SAT APR 30 2016 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AZ AT 05Z WILL MOVE SLOWLY TO EAST CENTRAL AZ BY 01/16Z. AT THE SAME TIME...SFC HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD SWD THRU THE ERN PLAINS WITH BRIEF NLY WIND GUSTS TO 35KT...AND RESULT IN VERY STRONG ELY WNDS INTO THE RGV ESPECIALLY FROM THE KSKX VCNTY SWD THRU KABQ AND KONM. WHILE THE PEAK GUSTS TO AROUND 50-55KT EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE VCNTY OF KABQ 01/07Z-14Z AN OVERALL SE LOW LEVEL WIND TO PERSIST THRU 01/18Z. OTHERWISE...MTS TO BE OBSCURED IN MVFR TO IFR CIGS/VSBYS DUE TO SHOWERS...ISOLD TSTMS AND LCL BR CENTRAL AND WEST...AND IN MVFR TO IFR CIGS/VSBY IN -RASN BR/FG FROM E SLOPES CENTRAL MT CHAIN ACROSS THE ERN PLAINS AS THE FRONT PUSHES SWD. && .PREV DISCUSSION...350 PM MDT SAT APR 30 2016... ...RARE DAMAGING EAST WIND EVENT EXPECTED IN THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA LATE THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING... .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SLOWLY APPROACHING NEW MEXICO FROM THE WEST WILL DRAW A POWERFUL BACK DOOR COLD FRONT THROUGH THE STATE TONIGHT. POTENTIALLY DAMAGING EAST WINDS OVERTOPPING THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WILL SLAM INTO THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS FROM 35 TO 60 MPH AND GUSTS UP TO 75 MPH LATE THIS EVENING INTO SUNDAY MORNING. MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL NEW MEXICO WILL FEEL GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH...INCLUDING SANTA FE. THE STORM WILL ALSO PRODUCE UP TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY IN PARTS OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...WITH A FEW TO SEVERAL INCHES IN THE SURROUNDING HIGHLANDS AND VALLEYS...AS WELL AS THE WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THE STORM WILL EXIT NORTHEAST OF THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT WITH WEAKER WINDS...A LINGERING CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A LATE SEASON FREEZE IN SOME LOCATIONS. && .DISCUSSION... NUMERICAL MODEL GUIDANCE IS IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF DAMAGING EAST WINDS IN THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. MODELS HAVE BEEN FORECASTING VERY STRONG WINDS FOR SEVERAL DAYS NOW...GIVING US HIGH CONFIDENCE IN THIS CLIMATOLOGICALLY RARE OCCURRENCE. ALL OF EASTERN ALBUQUERQUE...INCLUDING THE NORTHEAST HEIGHTS AND FOOTHILLS...WILL BE IMPACTED BY THESE VERY STRONG WINDS AS 30-35 KT E TO SE FLOW AT 700 MB OVERTOPS THE SANDIA MOUNTAINS. DOWNSLOPE ACCELERATION ON THE LEE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN SOME GUSTS REACHING NEAR 75 MPH. MODELS ARE ALSO PAINTING A CLEARER PICTURE OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OPENING INTO A TROUGH AS IT CROSSES NORTHERN NEW MEXICO LATE SUNDAY AND EXITS EAST SUNDAY NIGHT. ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...COLD AIR DELIVERED WITH THE FRONT AND STRONG UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS WILL COME TOGETHER FOR SEVERAL INCHES OF LATE SEASON SNOW IN THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN MOUNTAINS. I-25 WILL BE IMPACTED FROM SANTA FE TO THE COLORADO BORDER...AS WELL AS I-40 CROSSING THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. THERE IS SOME CONCERN THAT THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS COULD RECEIVE WARNING CRITERIA SNOW NEAR 1 FOOT...TOO. LATER SHIFTS WILL MONITOR THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES BEING ISSUED THERE AND UPGRADE AS NEEDED. GFS AND ECMWF ARE STILL AT ODDS ON WHETHER A MID LEVEL RIDGE OR UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BE THE DOMINATING WEATHER FEATURE THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE COMING WORK WEEK. EVEN IF THE GFS RIDGE IS RIGHT...THERE MAY BE ENOUGH MOISTURE TO RECYCLE FOR DAILY ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS THE WEATHER GRADUALLY WARMS ABOVE SUNDAYS COLD READINGS. MODELS AGREE ON THE RIDGE BECOMING DOMINANT AROUND MID WEEK. 44 && .FIRE WEATHER... NO SIGNIFICANT FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THEN INCREASING CHANCES OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS LATE NEXT WEEK. THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL CLOSED LOW IS ALONG THE CA...AZ BORDER THIS AFTERNOON. IT WILL MOVE ACROSS AZ TONIGHT THEN WEAKEN AS IT TURNS NORTHEAST OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION SUNDAY. SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO FORM THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND BE WIDESPREAD TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...ALONG WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. SNOW WILL FALL OVER THE WESTERN AND ESPECIALLY NORTHERN MOUNTAINS WITH SUBSTANTIAL SNOWFALL IN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS. BUT THE SNOW MAY NOT BE THE BIGGEST STORY LATER TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY. THE CURRENT SET OF NUMERICAL GUIDANCE IS EVEN A LITTLE STRONGER WITH THEIR WIND FORECASTS FOR ALBUQUERQUE. WITH THE UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER ARIZONA AND A TIGHTENING SURFACE GRADIENT...EAST WINDS WILL INCREASE DRAMATICALLY DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND A SIGNIFICANT TO MAJOR GAP WIND EVENT WILL IMPACT THE CENTRAL VALLEYS. THIS COULD BE AN OVER THE TOP EVENT FOR THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...WHICH WOULD MEAN STRONG TO HIGH WINDS OVER A BIT LARGER AREA THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST. 700 MB FLOW STEADILY INCREASES WITH SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 40 KNOTS EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THE CURRENT WIND ADVISORIES...AND THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...THE MOST IMPACT EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN ALBUQUERQUE. MUCH COOLER HIGHS ARE FORECAST FOR ALL ZONES SUNDAY BUT ESPECIALLY SO EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. WETTING PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED AT MOST LOCATIONS BUT WILL FAVOR WESTERN AND NORTHERN ZONES. THE COOL AND MOIST CONDITIONS CONTINUE INTO MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS THE UPPER LOW WEAKENS AND MOVES EAST WITH A TRAILING WEAKER WAVE CROSSING NORTHERN ZONES ON TUESDAY. WETTING PRECIPITATION THOUGH WILL BE HARD TO COME BY EARLY IN THE WEEK. TEMPERATURES BEGIN TRENDING UP SOME MONDAY AND TUESDAY...BUT STILL BELOW NORMAL. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE DEVELOPS IN THE WAKE OF THIS ACTIVITY WEDNESDAY WHILE ANOTHER STRONG UPPER LOW APPROACHES THE WEST COAST. HIGHS CONTINUE TO WARM WEDNESDAY...FINALLY REACHING NEAR NORMAL VALUES. RESIDUAL MOISTURE COULD TRIGGER A FEW SHOWERS OVER CENTRAL OR EASTERN ZONES. TEMPERATURES INCREASE AGAIN ON THURSDAY AS THE RIDGE AXIS MOVES EAST OF THE STATE AND A MID LEVEL DRY SLOT WITH SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM. SPOTTY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WEST ON THURSDAY. STRONGER WINDS AND A CONTINUED DRY AIRMASS WILL EXPAND THE COVERAGE OF CRITICAL CONDITIONS TO MORE OF THE WEST AND THE CENTRAL AREAS ON FRIDAY. DRYLINE CONVECTION WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE NEXT WEEK AS WELL. LOOKS LIKE THE WEEKEND COULD BE IMPACTED BY ANOTHER CLOSED LOW WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES...SHOWERS IN THE NORTH...AND GUSTY WINDS ACROSS THE SOUTH. CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS WILL BE A CONCERN FOR THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS ON SATURDAY. VENTILATION TO BE GENERALLY GOOD OR BETTER FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...EXCEPT FOR A BROAD AREA OF POOR TO FAIR VALUES IN THE EAST ON MONDAY...AND OVER THE FAR NORTHEAST ON WEDNESDAY. CHJ && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ502-506-510>512-516-527>529. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ513>515. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ504-507-518-520-521-524. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL NOON MDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ519. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 523 AM MDT SAT APR 30 2016 NMZ501>540-011130- 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- 523 AM MDT SAT APR 30 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT SURGING THROUGH THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN TONIGHT WILL LIKELY GENERATE VERY STRONG TO PERHAPS DAMAGING EAST WINDS INTO THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...STRONGEST BELOW CANYONS IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. SOME OF THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL LIKELY IMPACT PORTIONS OF THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA WITH GUSTS THAT MAY EXCEED 55 OR 60 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY STRONG EAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN NEW MEXICO. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 33
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A peak wind of 67 mph occurred below Embudo Canyon in the Albuquerque foothills. High winds were reported at the site for several hours.
Albuquerque Sunport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, May 2016
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: 622512, 622516.