The first day of a two-day strong wind event began on April 12th as an unseasonably deep upper level storm system moved slowly east through the southern Rockies. Widespread, strong southwest winds increased over the region during the early morning hours of the 12th then peaked during the late afternoon and early evening hours as a potent cold front surged southeastward across the state.
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.
The first day of a two-day strong wind event began on April 12th as an unseasonably deep upper level storm system moved slowly east through the southern Rockies. Widespread, strong southwest winds increased over the region during the early morning hours of the 12th then peaked during the late afternoon and early evening hours as a potent cold front surged southeastward across the state. Widespread blowing dust was reported ahead of the cold front over the Four Corners region where hazardous visibilities were reported. A semi trailer was blown over along U.S. Highway 491 near Shiprock from high winds with blowing dust. The strongest winds were reported over central and western New Mexico where gusts of 60 to 70 mph were common. High temperatures in the 80s and 90s combined with very low humidity and strong winds set the stage for wildfires across the region. A prescribed burn between Bluewater Lake and Grants quickly spread out of control on the 12th while another wildfire developed from an abandoned camp fire. A grass fire that developed over extreme northern Lea County crossed into southeastern Roosevelt County near Milnesand and rapidly consumed nearly 40,000 acres. The 246 Fire near Capitan consumed nearly 4,000 acres as well as two homes and four outbuildings.
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 12, 4:36 AM MST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 536 AM MDT Thu Apr 12 2018 .AVIATION... 12Z TAF CYCLE West to southwest winds will increase at higher elevations through the early morning hours. Very strong to high winds will develop between mid morning and early afternoon area wide, though the main impact period will be during the afternoon through the evening where gusts between 45 and 55kt will be common area wide. BLDU may reduce visibility between 3 and 5 miles, locally lower. Winds will decrease slightly overnight, though will remain gusty as a Pacific cold front slides from northwest to southeast, switching winds around to the northwest. Winds will quickly re-strengthen Friday morning. 34 && .PREV DISCUSSION...330 AM MDT Thu Apr 12 2018... .SYNOPSIS... Very strong to damaging winds today through this evening over northern and central New Mexico with gusts ranging from 55 to around 70 mph. Reduced visibilities in blowing dust, and extremely critical fire weather conditions will be widespread. Locales mainly along and east of the Pecos Valley will see another day of near record high temperatures. The wind will gradually diminish later this evening across the west and north, but will remain very strong along the Central Highlands and South Central Mountains overnight and through Friday. Winds elsewhere redevelop Friday with gusts to around 55 or 60 mph. Much colder air will invade the region tonight and Friday, with snow showers developing over the northern higher terrain, where minor accumulations are possible through Friday night. Gusty north winds persist over northeast New Mexico Saturday before finally tapering off. Unseasonably cool temperatures are expected Friday through Saturday night before rebounding Sunday. Very windy, dry and warm weather return early next week. && .DISCUSSION... Another springtime in the Rockies storm system bearing down on the region today and persisting Friday before exiting Saturday. Very strong to damaging winds, widespread extremely critical fire conditions and areas of reduced visibilities in blowing dust are on the menu today through this evening, with a helping of snow fall accumulations over the higher terrain of the Sangre de Cristo mts and far northeast New Mexico mainly Friday through Friday night. Snow accumulations may range from an inch to around 5 inches over the northern and western Sangre de Cristo mts by late Friday night. The Interstate 25 corridor from the Las Vegas area to Raton Pass and eastward to the Clayton area may be impacted as well, but with lesser amounts. Some blowing snow may reduce visibilities in the mt passes and over far northeast New Mexico. However, not planning on any winter type highlights for snow at this time. Southwest to west winds today will taper off late this evening west and north, but persist along the central mountain chain, especially Clines Corners southward, with barely a 6 hour lull between midnight tonight and 6am Friday before ramping back up into the very strong to damaging category. Therefore have extended the high wind warning for the Central Highlands and South Central Mts through 6 pm Friday. Other zones may require wind highlights Friday but it's expected there will be more of a break tonight/early Friday before the wind starts up again. Latest models haven't really tried to dig the upper trough any farther south than 24 hrs ago but much colder air will overspread the region Friday, and hang out until Sunday, when highs recover to within a few degrees of average. Both highs and lows Friday through Saturday night will be about 10 to 20 degrees below average, with near to below freezing lows for much of the forecast area. Gusty northerly winds dominate far northeast New Mexico Saturday, but clouds should be much fewer overall. A transient ridge Sunday, is followed by a degeneration to more windy and dry weather Monday and Tuesday. Both the ECMWF and GFS suggest an impressive upper low later next week may result in some dryline storms over eastern New Mexico. && .FIRE WEATHER... ..EXTREMELY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY... ...STRONG WINDS AND LOW RH FRIDAY ACROSS THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS... ...WIDESPREAD CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED MONDAY AND TUESDAY... Extremely critical fire weather conditions are expected this afternoon through the evening across much of northern and central New Mexico. Strong to damaging west to southwest wind gusts in excess of 50 mph will be common as a Pacific trough approaches the Land of Enchantment. After poor humidity recoveries this morning, afternoon humidities will fall into the single digits across much of the area. Several hours of single digit humidities (6-10) can be expected across the Rio Grande Valley and all of eastern NM. Widespread Haines values of 6 are also expected. This is not your average critical fire weather day. A Pacific cold front will race from northwest to southeast this evening and overnight, switching winds around to the northwest. Some light precipitation is possible but the bigger story will be the much colder air filtering in behind the front. After near record high temperatures today across some areas, temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees below normal on Friday. Winds taper off somewhat after midnight tonight, but will quickly re-strengthen Friday morning and persist through the afternoon. Despite the cooling, humidities will remain below 15 percent across portions of the Rio Grande Valley and the East Central Plains. However, the back door segment of the cold front is slated to dive down the plains during the day Friday, potentially moving through the east central plains during the afternoon. Given the high temperatures will be well below normal, and the back door front may increase humidities in the afternoon depending on the timing, will hold off on a Fire Weather Watch at this time. However, the strong winds and low RH will be a concern, especially if any fires develop today. Saturday will be much quieter overall, though strong northerly winds will develop over far northeast NM. Temperatures will remain well below normal. Ridging will move over the state on Sunday, thus, lighter winds expected still. Temps will warm within 5 degrees of normal. Monday and Tuesday could be very similar to yesterday and today. Another Pacific trough will move closer to NM on Monday, while the base of the trough will cross the state Tuesday. Thus, winds will inch upward on Monday, and widespread strong to potentially damaging winds could return on Tuesday. Critical fire weather conditions are expected across all of eastern NM and portions of western NM on Monday, and nearly all areas on Tuesday. The main difference on Tuesday is that much colder air is not expected to move in following the trough. More fire weather concerns are expected to arrive toward the end of the week, particularly on Thursday and Friday. 34 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning from 10 AM this morning to midnight MDT tonight for the following zones... NMZ512>515-520>522-524-525-527>529-531>534-537-539-540. Red Flag Warning from 10 AM this morning to midnight MDT tonight for the following zones... NMZ103-104-106>108. Wind Advisory from 10 AM this morning to midnight MDT tonight for the following zones... NMZ530-535-536-538. High Wind Warning from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ502-504>508-510-511-516-518-519. Red Flag Warning from 10 AM this morning to 9 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ101-102-105-109. Wind Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ501-503-509-517. High Wind Warning from 10 AM this morning to 6 PM MDT Friday for the following zones... NMZ523-526. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 426 AM MDT Thu Apr 12 2018 NMZ501>540-131200- 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- 426 AM MDT Thu Apr 12 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Westerly winds will become very strong to damaging today with gusts to between 60 and 70 mph, and persist this evening. Extremely critical fire weather conditions and areas of reduced visibilities in blowing dust will also be widespread. Travel will be difficult and even hazardous for high profile vehicles, especially on north to south oriented highways. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Very strong to damaging winds persist over the Central Highlands and South Central Mountains Friday, while strong winds redevelop elsewhere with some areas of blowing dust. Friday through Saturday night will be significantly cooler, with temperatures about 10 to 20 degrees below average. Snow fall amounts of 1 to 5 inches are possible over portions of the north, with the higher amounts over the Sangre de Cristo mountains and far northeast New Mexico Friday and Friday night. Interstate 25 from the Las Vegas area to Raton Pass may be impacted by minor amounts of snow as well. Windy, dry and warmer weather expected next Monday and Tuesday with critical fire weather conditions. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report wind speeds and impacts as well as precipitation amounts through the National Weather Service Albuquerque web site at weather.gov/abq or by calling 1.888.386.7637. You can also submit storm reports and photos on our Facebook page or via Twitter using the hashtag nmwx.
31 high wind, 1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Several weather stations atop Taos Ski Valley reported peak wind gusts between 58 mph and 73 mph periodically for several hours.
Las Vegas Municipal Airport reported sustained winds between 40 mph and 51 mph periodically for a couple hours.
Clines Corners reported peak wind gusts between 58 mph and 70 mph periodically for over 25 hours.
A weather station in Los Alamos reported a peak wind gust up to 63 mph.
A weather station northwest of Glorieta reported sustained winds between 40 mph and 47 mph periodically for several hours.
Taos Regional Airport reported sustained winds between 40 mph and 44 mph periodically for several hours.
Gallup Municipal Airport reported peak sustained winds between 40 mph and 47 mph periodically for several hours.
Gallup Municipal Airport reported peak wind gusts between 58 mph and 68 mph periodically for several hours.
Las Vegas Municipal Airport reported a peak wind gust up to 63 mph.
Angel Fire airport reported a peak wind gust up to 58 mph.
A weather station near Madrid reported a peak wind gust up to 60 mph.
Strong wind gusts around the metro area downed several power lines. Nearly 5,000 customers were reported without power between Albuquerque, Isleta, and Los Lunas. The location of the downed power lines was not specified by local utility authorities.
The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility Transwestern Pump station reported sustained winds between 40 mph and 47 mph periodically for several hours.
An observer near Sandia Park reported a peak wind gust up to 65 mph. A weather station near Tajique reported peak wind gusts up to 61 mph.
Clines Corners reported sustained winds between 40 mph and 46 mph periodically for nearly 24 hours.
Farmington Four Corners Regional Airport reported a peak wind gusts between 58 mph and 62 mph. A New Mexico air quality station near Fruitland reported a peak wind gust up to 71 mph during this period.
Farmington Four Corners Regional Airport reported peak sustained winds between 40 mph and 47 mph.
Clayton reported a brief wind gust up to 60 mph.
A weather station near Las Nutrias reported sustained winds between 40 mph and 43 mph periodically for a couple hours.
A weather station near Nogal reported a peak wind gust up to 58 mph.
El Malpais RAWS site reported a peak wind gust up to 58 mph.
Smokey Bear RAWS reported peak wind gusts up to 65 mph.
The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility Fort Sumner site reported peak wind gusts up to 66 mph.
Two weather stations between Grants and Mesita both reported peak wind gusts up to 65 mph.
The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility Transwestern Pump station reported peak wind gusts between 58 mph and 64 mph periodically for several hours.
The 246 Fire started around 5pm MDT on April 12, 2018 near Capitan, NM. The fire consumed nearly 4,000 acres as well as two primary homes and sixteen secondary structures. Damage amounts are estimated. No updates were provided from NM Fire Info after April 14, 2018.
Sierra Blanca Regional Airport reported sustained winds between 40 mph and 48 mph periodically for several hours.
Sierra Blanca Regional Airport reported peak wind gusts between 58 mph and 66 mph periodically for several hours.
A White Sands Missile Range site reported a peak wind gust up to 58 mph.
A New Mexico air quality station at Navajo Lake reported a peak wind gust up to 58 mph.
A weather station northwest of Glorieta reported a peak wind gust up to 61 mph.
A White Sands Missile Range site reported a peak wind gust up to 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2018
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: 739666, 739675, 739649, 739663, 739664, 739668, 739660, 739659, 739676, 739667, 739669, 739670, 739686, 739672, 739650, 739656, 739657, 739677, 739671, 739653, 739661, 739652, 739681, 739662, 739684, 739648, 739655, 739654, 739673, 739658, 739665, 739674.