A fast moving upper level trough moving through the southern Rockies forced strong winds through the high terrain of central New Mexico and the adjacent eastern plains. West winds increased over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains during the early morning hours then peaked just after sunrise with gusts near 60 mph around Taos Ski Valley.
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 fast moving upper level trough moving through the southern Rockies forced strong winds through the high terrain of central New Mexico and the adjacent eastern plains. West winds increased over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains during the early morning hours then peaked just after sunrise with gusts near 60 mph around Taos Ski Valley. Strong winds spread onto the east slopes and nearby high plains through the late morning hours before peaking during the early afternoon. Sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts between 50 and 60 mph were reported from near Angel Fire south to Las Vegas, Clines Corners, and the Sacramento Mountains. Very dry conditions with these winds and above normal temperatures generated critical fire weather over much of eastern New Mexico.
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 Jan 26, 4:18 AM MST, 2 hours 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 418 AM MST Fri Jan 26 2018 .AVIATION... 12Z TAF CYCLE VFR conditions prevail and are forecast to persist through the TAF period. A weak Pacific cold front will move east across the state today, bringing gusty westerly winds with potential mountain wave activity to the lee of the central mountain chain. The backdoor segment of the front will move through KTCC this evening, resulting in a wind shift. 11 && .PREV DISCUSSION...241 AM MST Fri Jan 26 2018... .SYNOPSIS... A dry Pacific cold front will move from northwest to southeast across the state today. Brisk northwest winds behind the front will usher in cooler air. A cold night is in store tonight as winds subside after sunset. A relatively cool but sunny day remains on track for Saturday with a warm up getting underway Sunday. Dry northwest flow aloft is forecast for early next week with temperatures above average for late January. && .DISCUSSION... Pacific cold front currently extends from far northwest AZ into west-central CO. Models agree that this feature will move to near the Four Corners by around 12Z and then push sewd through NM during the day. Cooler air will filter in across the northwest half or so of the state by afternoon while the southeast plains will have to wait until sunset for the cooler air behind the front to have an impact on temps. Moderate to locally strong west and northwest winds, this afternoon will diminish rapidly after sunset with temperatures dropping efficiently overnight given the lack of clouds and a very dry airmass. Strongest winds remain on track from the areas along east of the central mountain chain. Kept wind advisory for today as is given 00Z model data. According to the 00Z local WRF and NAM12, high wind warning speeds may be tough to come by for the Sangres this morning given the lack of a critical layer at mountain-top level. Both models keep the critical layer several thousand feet above crest level. Dry northwest flow aloft moves overhead for the weekend. Saturday on track to be the coolest day of the next 7 with a marked warm-up on track for Sunday. Above average temperatures continue areawide Monday and Tuesday. GFS and ECWMF continue to trend weaker and drier with regard to an upper trough for mid-week. Wind beginning to look the main impact from this system as a 95kt jet noses in from the northwest. Some hope remains that the very active MJO now advancing ewd into phase 5 will bring the jet farther south over NM next week. Models typically capture this aspect fairly well but can miss it at times. Additionally, the ridiculously strong upper-level high (575 dam at 500 mb in January) and related Omega block over Siberia and the Bering Sea is throwing quite the wrinkle into the flow across the central and eastern Pacific. 33 && .FIRE WEATHER... A weak Pacific cold front will push through later today and tonight. Stronger winds will develop this morning ahead of the front, mainly along and east of the central mountain chain. Several hours of elevated fire weather conditions are expected across the east central plains today ahead of the front. Otherwise, look for significant improvement to ventilation today as good to excellent rates prevail across the area. Temperatures will generally be at or below normal Saturday behind the front, with poor to fair vent rates. Look for warming on Sunday to take temperatures back above normal areawide, with some improvement to vent rates across eastern New Mexico. A ridge of high pressure will build over the Desert Southwest and New Mexico going into Monday, allowing the warming trend to continue with mostly poor vent rates persisting. Critical fire weather conditions may return to the eastern plains next Wednesday as the the jet stream dips south over the southern Rockies and winds begin to crank ahead of a backdoor cold front. There is some potential for critical fire weather conditions on Thursday as well, mainly west of the backdoor front across central and western New Mexico, thanks to moderate/strong dry northwest flow aloft and good mixing. 11 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning until 11 AM MST this morning for the following zones... NMZ513>515. Wind Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 4 PM MST this afternoon for the following zones... NMZ523. && 33
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 224 AM MST Fri Jan 26 2018 NMZ501>540-271130- 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- 224 AM MST Fri Jan 26 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Moderate to locally strong west to northwest winds will develop behind the passage of a dry Pacific cold front today. Winds will be strongest in the central highlands including Clines Corners, Vaughn and Encino with gusts up to 50 mph possible. .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. 33
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A peak wind gust to 60 mph was reported at Highline Ridge on Taos Ski Valley.
Sustained winds between 40 and 44 mph were reported near Tierra Monte.
Sustained winds between 40 and 47 mph were reported near San Pablo.
A brief peak wind gust to 58 mph was reported at the Las Vegas airport.
The Smokey Bear RAWS station reported a brief peak wind gust to 60 mph.
Clines Corners reported a peak wind gust to 59 mph with sustained winds of 40 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, January 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: 729367, 729368, 729370, 729369, 729371, 729372.