A sharp dryline sloshing westward along the New Mexico and Texas state line and strong winds aloft on the 21st provided the focus for strong to severe thunderstorms. The strongest storms rolled through the area from Portales to Clovis and Pleasant Hill where lots of quarter to half dollar size hail was reported.
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 sharp dryline sloshing westward along the New Mexico and Texas state line and strong winds aloft on the 21st provided the focus for strong to severe thunderstorms. The strongest storms rolled through the area from Portales to Clovis and Pleasant Hill where lots of quarter to half dollar size hail was reported. No significant damage occurred.
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 21, 2:45 PM MST, 1 hour 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 345 PM MDT SAT MAY 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A few strong to severe storms are possible near the Texas border through the evening. Elsewhere, dry and breezy to windy conditions will be the rule. On Sunday, storm chances across the east lessen further, but the winds will be in store once again. Not much change expected for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday either as a mid level dry slot keeps the weather dry with afternoon winds. A weak storm system looks to cross northern New Mexico on Thursday, but even this system does not bring significant precipitation chances with it. && .DISCUSSION... Dryline has set up shop in far eastern NM this afternoon as expected. Clouds continue to bubble along it and expect storms to develop along it at any time. Opted to include Union County in the watch as dewpoint actually increased as winds backed to the SSE earlier this afternoon. Some of that moisture as mixed out now but still a healthy Td gradient between KRTN and KCAO as of this writing. Hail and gusty winds will be the main threats with these storms. Also across the northeast, we have seen winds just breach wind advisory criteria at times this afternoon. Due to the marginal nature of the wind speeds, and the severe tstm watch already in Union Co., will not issue a wind advisory and confuse the issue. Tonight, expect the dryline to slosh back westward, again perhaps a little farther than models predict. However, given a bit more westerly component to the winds on Sunday afternoon, combined with the dry slot pushing thru the remainder of the area, expect the dryline to mix farther east, likely at least to the Texas border, before storms develop. Kept a 10 PoP in the far east on Sunday, but suspect most, if not all, of the activity will be east of the border. Therefore, dry and breezy conditions will be the rule, though windier conditions will be felt across the NE, much like today. Starting Sunday and continuing through the middle of next week, temperatures will vary little. Below normal tempeatures will be the rule across the west, near normal across central areas, and just above normal across the east. The dry slot will keep precip chances nil, though by Wednesday afternoon, some mid level moisture will work into the northwest, perhaps resulting in some virga. The next upper level low will likely weaken into an open wave as it crosses northern NM on Thursday. Some light precip is possible across the north, but nothing significant is expected. Temperatures will lower a few to several degrees across the board as a result of this system though. Models continue to diverge thereafter with regards to the upper level pattern, but no big storm systems appear to be on the horizon. 34 && .FIRE WEATHER... Strong to severe thunderstorms will impact areas along the New Mexico/Texas border this afternoon into the late evening. Potential heavy rain footprints, frequent cloud to ground lightning, hail and erratic winds will accompany storm activity. Gusty south to swly winds will gradually taper down tonight. Overnight recoveries will be good to excellent along the eastern borders and SE Plains. Early morning low clouds and fog development will favor those areas as well. Chances for dryline storms will continue to favor the far SE Plains Sunday as the dryline sloshes back and forth along the Texas border. Meanwhile, a strong upper level low is churning over the NW Pacific U.S. which will set us up for several days of dry and windy conditions across much of the state accompanied by daily fire weather concerns in the east. Drier air will begin filtering into the state Sunday, lowering MinRH values below 15 percent. Temperatures will be near/above normal east of the Central Mountain Chain with below normal readings along and west of the mountain chain. Critical fire weather conditions will persist across high terrain areas but mainly east of the Central Mountain Chain where max haines of 5 to 6 values and stronger SW winds will persist. Though atmosheric conditions suggest critical fire weather conditions, green up and recent rains will preclude a fire weather watch at this time. Temperatures will remain near/above normal in the east, below normal central and west Monday through Wednesday as drier air and gusty SW winds persist. Although temperatures look to fall below seasonal norms on Thursday, continue anticipating fire weather concerns across eastern areas as the upper level low dives southward into Arizona before crossing over northern New Mexico and central Colorado on Friday. Continue to watch the Wednesday and Thursday timeframe for potential fire weather watches as the vegetation continues to dry out through mid week. Temperatures look to fall below normal areawide by Friday as wetting rain/high mountain snow chances favors the northern tier late Thursday into Friday because of wrap around energy from the upper level low. Look for gusty winds to become W/NW late Friday into Saturday as well. Expect excellent vent rates areawide Sunday through Thursday, with conditions deteriorating across the far north central Mountains on Friday. Look for 5 and 6 haines values areawide Monday through Thursday, except for spotty lower values in the Northern Mountains on Thursday. 5 and 6 haines values will favor central and southern areas by Friday. Good to excellent recoveries will remain in the SE Plains on Saturday but fall to fair values areawide Sunday through Thursday, with a slight increase in values across the NE Plains on Friday. 32 && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE Dryline storms will favor the SE and far E Plains this aftn around 21z. Decided at add VCSH for TCC and ROW just in case of storm development west of those sites. There could also be a possibility of gusty to erratic winds near TS activity. Low cigs could also impact eastern areas after midnight with the greatest confidence at ROW around 10z. Otherwise, expect VFR cigs elsewhere with breezy to windy S/SW winds this aftn with 25 to 35 kt gusts. 32 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 47 75 42 75 / 0 0 0 0 Dulce........................... 39 69 33 69 / 0 0 0 0 Cuba............................ 39 72 36 72 / 0 0 0 0 Gallup.......................... 41 71 36 73 / 0 0 0 0 El Morro........................ 36 67 34 68 / 0 0 0 0 Grants.......................... 38 74 35 74 / 0 0 0 0 Quemado......................... 43 71 39 72 / 0 0 0 0 Glenwood........................ 46 78 47 79 / 0 0 0 0 Chama........................... 33 64 31 63 / 0 0 0 0 Los Alamos...................... 48 72 43 72 / 0 0 0 0 Pecos........................... 44 73 42 72 / 0 0 0 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 40 70 35 69 / 0 0 0 0 Red River....................... 37 58 32 56 / 0 0 0 0 Angel Fire...................... 31 65 30 64 / 5 0 0 0 Taos............................ 39 72 34 70 / 0 0 0 0 Mora............................ 44 71 39 70 / 5 0 0 0 Espanola........................ 48 78 45 77 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Fe........................ 47 72 44 71 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 46 77 43 76 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 53 80 51 80 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 54 82 53 82 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 50 83 51 83 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 51 82 50 82 / 0 0 0 0 Los Lunas....................... 50 83 50 84 / 0 0 0 0 Rio Rancho...................... 51 82 50 81 / 0 0 0 0 Socorro......................... 52 86 54 85 / 0 0 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 50 75 45 75 / 0 0 0 0 Tijeras......................... 49 80 46 80 / 0 0 0 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 44 76 41 76 / 0 0 0 0 Clines Corners.................. 45 75 42 75 / 0 0 0 0 Gran Quivira.................... 49 76 47 77 / 0 0 0 0 Carrizozo....................... 52 80 54 82 / 0 0 0 0 Ruidoso......................... 47 75 48 75 / 0 0 0 0 Capulin......................... 47 76 41 74 / 5 5 5 5 Raton........................... 44 79 42 77 / 5 5 5 5 Springer........................ 45 80 44 79 / 5 0 5 0 Las Vegas....................... 46 76 43 74 / 5 0 0 0 Clayton......................... 52 84 51 84 / 10 5 5 0 Roy............................. 50 80 46 79 / 5 0 0 0 Conchas......................... 57 87 54 87 / 5 0 0 0 Santa Rosa...................... 53 86 52 86 / 5 0 0 0 Tucumcari....................... 59 91 54 91 / 20 5 5 0 Clovis.......................... 58 88 53 90 / 20 10 5 0 Portales........................ 59 88 54 90 / 20 10 5 0 Fort Sumner..................... 57 87 55 88 / 5 5 5 0 Roswell......................... 58 94 55 94 / 5 5 0 0 Picacho......................... 53 87 52 87 / 5 0 0 0 Elk............................. 51 80 51 81 / 5 0 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 34
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 603 AM MDT SAT MAY 21 2016 NMZ501>540-221200- 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- 603 AM MDT SAT MAY 21 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF ISOLATED STRONG OR MARGINALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN PLAINS...EAST OF A TUCUMCARI TO ROSWELL LINE. STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERNS WITH THESE STORMS. BREEZY TO AT TIMES WINDY CONDITIONS ALONG WITH LOW AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HUMIDITY WILL BE IN PLACE THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FIRE WEATHER FORECAST AREA...HOWEVER RECENT VEGETATIVE GREEN UP AND MOISTURE MAY MITIGATE TO A DEGREE THE RISK OF RAPID FIRE GROWTH IF THERE ARE ANY FIRE STARTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF ISOLATED STRONG OR MARGINALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST AGAIN LATER SUNDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING VERY NEAR THE TEXAS LINE. STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERNS WITH THESE STORMS. BREEZY TO AT TIMES WINDY CONDITIONS ALONG WITH LOW AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HUMIDITY WILL BE IN PLACE THROUGH THURSDAY...MAINLY ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FIRE WEATHER FORECAST AREA...HOWEVER RECENT VEGETATIVE GREEN UP AND MOISTURE MAY MITIGATE TO A DEGREE THE RISK OF RAPID FIRE GROWTH IF THERE ARE ANY FIRE STARTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 43
The Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:14 UTC.
8 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Pea size hail started in Portales around 508 pm MDT then grew to quarter size at 514 pm MDT.
Very brief period of quarter size hail at home in Portales.
Quarter size hail near Portales.
Penny size hail in Clovis.
Quarter size hail near Clovis.
Half dollar size hail near Pleasant Hill.
Nickel size hail near Pleasant Hill.
Quarter size hail in Tucumcari.
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: 625921, 625923, 625924, 625926, 625927, 625928, 625929, 625930.