A deep upper level trough over the Great Plains forced strong northerly winds onto the Front Range of the Rockies. Winds started increasing the during early morning hours over far northeastern NM then spread southward toward the Interstate 40 corridor by late morning.
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 deep upper level trough over the Great Plains forced strong northerly winds onto the Front Range of the Rockies. Winds started increasing the during early morning hours over far northeastern NM then spread southward toward the Interstate 40 corridor by late morning. The Raton area experienced the strongest winds influenced by gap flow through Raton Pass. Peak wind gusts topped out at 63 mph at the Raton airport. Mills Canyon also experienced wind gusts near 60 mph. Other locations across eastern New Mexico reported wind gusts in the 45 to 55 mph range.
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 Dec 8, 4:38 AM MST, 2 hours 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 438 AM MST Fri Dec 8 2017 .AVIATION... 12Z TAF CYCLE Strong north to northeast winds will develop across the eastern plains and northeast highlands this morning. Gusts of 30 to 40 knots are possible from late morning through the afternoon mainly from KRTN east and southeast to KCAO and KTCC. Winds will rapidly diminish late this afternoon as the wind max moves south of NM. West of the central mt chain, light winds will prevail for the next 24 hours. 33 && .PREV DISCUSSION...233 AM MST Fri Dec 8 2017... .SYNOPSIS... Stiff northerly winds aloft are ushering a weak disturbance over northeastern New Mexico early this morning. A few light showers will diminish around the Raton Pass and adjacent northeast highlands before noon. Strong winds will mix down to the surface in northeastern New Mexico through the day today with some gusts occasionally hitting 45 mph. Despite the northerly winds, temperatures will rebound back closer to seasonal averages today. The warming trend will persist through the weekend with dry and much more tranquil conditions shaping up. While a weak cold front is expected to enter eastern New Mexico on Monday, the above average warmth will persist through next week with mostly dry conditions expected. && .DISCUSSION... West coast ridge remains entrenched in a highly amplified fashion while deep long wave perturbations are impacting the eastern half of the ConUS. Winds will be the primary concern today, mostly in the northeastern quadrant of the state where a stiff mid level jet (700mb winds of 50-60kt) is nosing in. On the leading edge of this jet streak, some meager forcing and ascent has led to some cloud cover over northeastern NM and some light snow near the Raton Pass and adjacent highlands. No appreciable accumulation is expected as these showers wane before noon, and again the winds will be of more impact. A wind advisory is being hoisted today to account for gusts of 45 mph in Colfax, Union, Harding, and perhaps portions of Quay counties. Winds aloft will decrease tonight into Saturday as pressure heights rise and the blocking pattern holds with a weak low forming south of the west coast ridge. Temperatures will continue to climb some 5 to 12 degrees above average on Saturday with gains of a couple more degrees expected into Sunday. With the lighter winds aloft, a tranquil setting will accompany the abnormal warmth. A clipper is still prognosticated to dive southeastward out of Alberta, Canada on Monday with a highly modified continental polar airmass accompanying. This front will do little to dent temperatures, and the above normal stretch will not wane. Other than a brief wind shift in direction, this front looks to have minimal impact on eastern NM Monday. The weak low in the blocking pattern could nudge toward the Gulf of California Monday, introducing some high clouds to NM, but this also will be inept at cooling temperatures much. The low retrogrades back west into Tuesday and Wednesday while the high amplitude ridge keeps residence over the western U.S. coast. The European model indicates a short wave low will be able to dive southeastward out of Alberta into the central to southern Rockies while the GFS keeps this perturbation on a track farther east. At any rate, this feature passes near, or into, NM in a mostly dry state with minimal, if any, associated precipitation. As Thursday and Friday approach, nearly the same net result is achieved from both the European and GFS models with the high-over-low taking shape within the block again. Late next weekend, the blocking pattern could begin to break down, offering a more progressive storm track over the ConUS. 52 && .FIRE WEATHER... Strong north winds across the eastern plains will be the main fire weather concerns today. Despite the north winds, temperatures will warm up to above seasonal averages across much of the forecast area and relative humidity values will drop into the mid and upper teens. The combination of the wind and low RH's will lead to an hour or two of marginal critical fire weather conditons this afternoon. High amplitude upper level ridge remains on track to nudge eastward over the weekend. Temperatures will continue to warm as a result. Relatively light winds are forecast areawide Saturday through much of next week. Ventilation rates underneath the eastern portion of the upper high will lead to mainly poor vent rates Saturday through much of next week. ECMWF, Canadian and now the GFS showing signs that the blocking pattern (Omega block) anchored along the west coast will start to retrograde late next week, possibly allowing upper level troughs to drop in from the northwest. In fact, the ECMWF and Canadian models bring in a rouge upper level trough/closed low to near the Four Corners as early as Wednesday night and Thursday. It'll likely be moisture starved but could result in improved vent rates. 33 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 4 PM MST this afternoon for the following zones... NMZ527-528-530-531-534. && 52
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 256 AM MST Fri Dec 8 2017 NMZ501>540-091000- 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- 256 AM MST Fri Dec 8 2017 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of northern and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Strong northerly winds will impact the northeastern quadrant of New Mexico today where a wind advisory has been issued. Occasional gusts as high as 45 mph will be possible, creating strong cross winds on west-to-east oriented roads. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. However, weather can change very rapidly. Always use the latest forecasts, watches and warning for planning purposes. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated. 52
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Peak wind gusts up to 63 mph were reported for nearly one hour at the Raton airport.
Sustained winds between 40 and 44 mph were reported at the Raton airport periodically for several hours.
Mills Canyon reported a peak wind gust up to 59 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, December 2017
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: 723902, 723903, 723904.