A back door cold front that surged southwest across New Mexico recharged low level moisture westward into the Rio Grande Valley. A dry slot rounding the northern periphery of the upper level high center over eastern Arizona forced much drier air into the northwest corner of the state.
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 back door cold front that surged southwest across New Mexico recharged low level moisture westward into the Rio Grande Valley. A dry slot rounding the northern periphery of the upper level high center over eastern Arizona forced much drier air into the northwest corner of the state. Significant moist instability within the Rio Grande Valley along the dryline-like boundary set the stage for thunderstorms over the Albuquerque metro area. The first storm developed around Santa Ana Pueblo and moved southeast across Placitas into the Albuquerque Foothills. Heavy rainfall, strong winds, and nickel to quarter size hail was reported with this storm. A second storm developed over Rio Rancho and moved southeast across the Albuquerque Valley into the UNM area. This storm produced significant amounts of penny to half dollar size hail. Hail damage was reported to vehicles around UNM, gardens were completely destroyed, and trees were partially stripped of leaves.
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 Jul 30, 2:30 PM MST, 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 330 PM MDT Mon Jul 30 2018 .SYNOPSIS... A strong east canyon wind will develop below canyons opening into the central valley tonight. The strongest winds are expected in the Middle Rio Grande Valley this evening where gusts will reach up to 55 mph below canyons. Otherwise, daily rounds of scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are then expected for the remainder of the week, before an uptick in precipitation coverage and intensity this weekend. After high temperatures below normal again across central and eastern areas Tuesday, readings will vary around normal for the remainder of the week. && .DISCUSSION... Persistent easterly flow behind last night's moist back door front will enable east canyon winds to strengthen in the central valley again tonight, and especially this evening. Gusts from 30 to 40 mph will be possible below canyons from Santa Fe southward, except up to 55 mph in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. The easterly flow will enhance moisture westward to the continental divide enabling west central areas and the northwest mountains to get more convectively active again starting tonight. With the upper high west of NM, storms will continue to move toward the south and southeast through Thursday. Look for an uptick in the coverage of thunderstorms and rainfall intensity Wednesday and Wednesday night as a disturbance in northwest flow aloft tracks southeastward across north central and eastern areas. A pattern shift will occur at the end of the week as an upper level trough crossing the northern Rockies and an easterly wave traveling across northern Mexico weakens the subtropical ridge that has been positioned west of New Mexico. These features will steer a plume of subtropical moisture north and northeastward across the state increasing precipitable water values, which should peak around 1-1.4 inches Saturday and Sunday. This will increase the risk of locally heavy rainfall and flash flooding areawide. Storm motions will probably also become slower and more variable. 44 && .FIRE WEATHER... The Four Corners area is currently in the grips of a strong dry slot on breezy northwest winds. Single digit humidity will continue for the remainder of the day before deeper moisture arrives tonight. Cooler temperatures with higher humidity have moved into the eastern half of NM today behind a back door cold front. Moisture will surge westward this evening as a reinforcing blast of winds shift through the Rio Grande Valley on convective outflows. This recharge of low level moisture will accompany deeper mid and upper level moisture advection from the southwest through the remainder of this week. Shower and storm coverage will increase each afternoon with flash flood watches possible Thursday through Sunday. Temperatures will be close to or slightly below normal in this pattern with very good to excellent humidity recoveries for the entire area. Guyer && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE Confidence on coverage, timing, and location of TSRA thru tonight is low as just about every model solution is advertising a different set up on mesoscale details. Nonetheless, have focused terminal forecasts in the direction of the latest HREF-2, RAP, and HRRR solutions. Gap winds have subsided within the Rio Grande Valley and may even become variable or NW for a period by later in the afternoon. Meanwhile, a few strong to potentially severe storms will attempt to fire along the Sangre de Cristo Mts and move southeast across the plains aft 22Z. A large area of SHRA with embedded TS may linger over eastern NM thru the entire night with patchy MVFR low cigs. Gap winds are likely to redevelop within the Rio Grande Valley on convective outflows from the east, which will potentially reach Aviation Weather Warning gusts at KABQ btwn 01Z and 07Z. Guyer && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 63 93 64 94 / 5 0 0 10 Dulce........................... 52 85 50 90 / 10 10 20 50 Cuba............................ 55 83 56 89 / 20 20 20 30 Gallup.......................... 59 90 57 90 / 5 10 10 20 El Morro........................ 56 85 55 84 / 10 30 20 30 Grants.......................... 59 88 58 89 / 10 20 10 30 Quemado......................... 58 85 58 85 / 20 20 20 30 Glenwood........................ 64 89 65 91 / 30 40 40 40 Chama........................... 48 77 49 82 / 20 20 40 60 Los Alamos...................... 58 79 60 84 / 30 40 30 40 Pecos........................... 54 76 57 82 / 60 40 30 40 Cerro/Questa.................... 49 77 51 81 / 40 20 20 40 Red River....................... 44 67 44 70 / 50 30 30 50 Angel Fire...................... 42 72 41 77 / 50 30 40 60 Taos............................ 51 80 52 86 / 40 20 20 30 Mora............................ 49 75 51 81 / 50 40 30 50 Espanola........................ 59 84 60 90 / 20 20 20 20 Santa Fe........................ 57 78 60 84 / 40 30 30 20 Santa Fe Airport................ 58 83 59 88 / 30 20 20 20 Albuquerque Foothills........... 62 86 64 91 / 20 20 20 20 Albuquerque Heights............. 66 87 67 92 / 20 10 20 20 Albuquerque Valley.............. 65 89 65 94 / 20 10 20 20 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 65 89 66 94 / 20 10 20 20 Los Lunas....................... 65 90 64 94 / 20 10 20 20 Rio Rancho...................... 64 88 66 94 / 20 10 20 20 Socorro......................... 66 91 67 94 / 20 20 20 30 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 56 80 59 85 / 30 20 30 30 Tijeras......................... 58 83 60 88 / 20 20 30 30 Moriarty/Estancia............... 56 83 54 89 / 20 20 20 20 Clines Corners.................. 54 78 57 85 / 40 20 20 20 Gran Quivira.................... 57 82 58 87 / 20 30 30 30 Carrizozo....................... 61 82 63 86 / 30 30 20 20 Ruidoso......................... 54 73 57 80 / 60 50 30 30 Capulin......................... 51 77 54 81 / 20 20 20 30 Raton........................... 52 82 53 86 / 20 20 20 40 Springer........................ 54 83 55 87 / 30 20 20 30 Las Vegas....................... 52 76 55 83 / 50 20 30 40 Clayton......................... 54 82 58 87 / 10 10 10 20 Roy............................. 56 80 59 86 / 30 10 20 40 Conchas......................... 61 87 64 92 / 30 10 20 30 Santa Rosa...................... 61 84 63 92 / 30 20 20 30 Tucumcari....................... 61 88 65 93 / 10 10 10 20 Clovis.......................... 60 84 61 90 / 30 10 10 20 Portales........................ 61 85 62 92 / 30 10 10 20 Fort Sumner..................... 63 86 66 92 / 30 20 20 20 Roswell......................... 68 87 68 96 / 60 30 20 10 Picacho......................... 62 79 64 86 / 50 30 20 40 Elk............................. 58 75 60 83 / 60 50 30 40 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 1 AM MDT Tuesday for the following zones... NMZ519. && 44
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 338 AM MDT Mon Jul 30 2018 NMZ501>540-311130- 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- 338 AM MDT Mon Jul 30 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A backdoor cold front will push westward through New Mexico today. Showers and thunderstorms will most likely be confined to the mountains and southeast plains. A few strong storms are possible this afternoon and evening over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains along with the southwest mountains. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday Storm coverage is forecast to increase Wednesday and continue to be active Thursday through the weekend. Localized flash flooding, especially over and near recent burn scars, is likely each afternoon and evening. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report rainfall amounts and any flooding through the National Weather Service Albuquerque web site at weather.gov/abq or by calling 1.888.386.7637. 33
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
133 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018
NMZ508-302000-
Southwest Mountains-
133 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN SOCORRO AND
SOUTHEASTERN CATRON COUNTIES UNTIL 200 PM MDT...
At 132 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 19
miles northeast of Poverty Creek, or 19 miles north of Monticello,
moving southwest at 5 mph.
Penny size hail, heavy rain, and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be
possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Dusty.
If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy
building.
&&
LAT...LON 3360 10778 3377 10760 3368 10742 3348 10750
3348 10751
TIME...MOT...LOC 1932Z 029DEG 6KT 3367 10756
34Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 143 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018 NMZ527-528-530-302015- Far Northeast Highlands-Union County-Raton Ridge/Johnson Mesa- 143 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL UNION AND EAST CENTRAL COLFAX COUNTIES UNTIL 215 PM MDT... At 142 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7 miles southwest of Capulin, or 16 miles west of Des Moines, moving southeast at 20 mph. Penny size hail, heavy rain, and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of west central Union and east central Colfax Counties. If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy building. && LAT...LON 3670 10426 3679 10407 3658 10377 3640 10410 TIME...MOT...LOC 1942Z 329DEG 17KT 3669 10412 34
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
223 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018
NMZ508-302100-
Southwest Mountains-
223 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN SOCORRO AND
SOUTHEASTERN CATRON COUNTIES UNTIL 300 PM MDT...
At 223 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8
miles northeast of Poverty Creek, or 13 miles north of Winston,
moving southwest at 10 mph.
Penny size hail, heavy rain, and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be
possible with this storm.
This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of southwestern
Socorro and southeastern Catron Counties.
If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy
building.
&&
LAT...LON 3348 10787 3349 10789 3364 10774 3356 10757
3348 10761
TIME...MOT...LOC 2023Z 035DEG 9KT 3354 10767
34Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
230 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018
NMZ510-512-516-517-302100-
San Juan Mountains-Upper Rio Grande Valley-Lower Chama River
Valley-West Slopes Sangre de Cristo Mountains-
230 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN TAOS AND
SOUTHEASTERN RIO ARRIBA COUNTIES UNTIL 300 PM MDT...
At 229 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7
miles north of Embudo, or 21 miles west of Taos, moving south at 25
mph.
Nickel size hail, heavy rain, and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be
possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Embudo, Pilar, Dixon, Velarde, Rinconada, Rio Lucio, Lyden and
Picuris Pueblo.
This includes Highway 285 between Mile Markers 353 and 368.
If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy
building.
&&
LAT...LON 3643 10587 3620 10571 3612 10600 3636 10607
3639 10603 3642 10598
TIME...MOT...LOC 2029Z 346DEG 22KT 3631 10594
34Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 317 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018 NMZ508-302145- Southwest Mountains- 317 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL SOCORRO COUNTY UNTIL 345 PM MDT... At 317 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near National Radio Astronomy Observatory, or 19 miles east of Datil, moving east at 20 mph. Nickel size hail, heavy rain, and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of west central Socorro County. If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy building. && LAT...LON 3398 10767 3414 10758 3409 10724 3384 10739 TIME...MOT...LOC 2117Z 285DEG 16KT 3404 10753 34
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 319 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018 NMZ530-531-302145- Union County-Harding County- 319 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHEASTERN HARDING AND CENTRAL UNION COUNTIES UNTIL 345 PM MDT... At 318 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Bueyeros, or 22 miles northeast of Mosquero, moving south at 35 mph. Penny size hail, heavy rain, and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Bueyeros and Rosebud. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor your preferred media outlets and NOAA Weather Radio for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. && LAT...LON 3608 10387 3615 10367 3577 10338 3567 10373 TIME...MOT...LOC 2118Z 338DEG 30KT 3605 10374 34
The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:52 UTC.
10 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall amounts just under two inches in less than one hour forced water and flood debris over a bridge near 328 Gavilan Canyon Road. Law enforcement noted that debris piled up in the river bed may have exacerbated flooding.
Hail up to the size of nickels at Tamaya Resort.
Hail up to the size of nickels at Menaul and Moon.
Hail up to the size of quarters in Rio Rancho.
Power lines down at Montano and 4th.
Hail up to the size of half dollars fell for nearly five minutes. Hail damaged residential roofs, several vehicles, a camper, and completely destroyed gardens. Hail was piled up nearly 12 inches along the side of homes. Damage amounts are estimated for numerous roofs and vehicles in the area.
Hail up to the size of quarters at Indian School and Madison. Leaves shredded on most trees. Damage amounts are estimated for numerous vehicles in the area.
Hail up to the size of ping pong balls slams the UNM area and Nob Hill for five minutes. Trees and gardens were shredded and destroyed. Widespread hail damage occurred to vehicles. A woman walking to her car was struck by hail and required stitches. This is the first injury reported due to hail in Bernalillo County dating back to at least 1957. Damage amounts are a rough estimate for vehicles damaged in the UNM area.
Hail up to the size of nickels at Gibson and San Pedro.
Hail up to the size of quarters at Lomas and Carlisle shredded leaves from trees and damaged shade fabric. Damage amounts are estimated for numerous vehicles in the area.
Hail up to the size of pennies at the National Weather Service office for about four minutes.
Hail up to the size of quarters at Santa Clara and Vassar. Leaves shredded with damage to vehicles. Damage amounts are estimated for numerous vehicles in the area.
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, July 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: 761375, 761382, 761387, 761388, 761390, 761393, 761395, 761397, 761403, 761407, 761401, 761404.