Widespread severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of April 2018 continued through May 2018. Severe drought expanded to nearly 90 percent of the state, of which 60 percent was deemed extreme drought or worse.
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.
Widespread severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of April 2018 continued through May 2018. Severe drought expanded to nearly 90 percent of the state, of which 60 percent was deemed extreme drought or worse. Exceptional drought expanded to 18 percent of New Mexico. Spring runoff was nearly nonexistent at most river gages after record low snowpack at several key SNOTEL locations. Precipitation across central and western New Mexico was well below normal and temperatures were above normal. Spotty showers and thunderstorms impacted central and western New Mexico on a couple days however precipitation amounts were just a drop in the bucket compared to long-term deficits. Several back door frontal boundaries brought much needed showers and thunderstorms to parts of eastern New Mexico. Some areas of eastern New Mexico picked up between one and four inches of rainfall in May, along with a few bouts of severe hail and high winds. Some minor improvements were made to drought conditions along the Texas border. Periodic red flag conditions impacted nearly all of New Mexico during May 2018 which aided several new fire starts. The Buzzard Fire in western Catron County grew to over 30,000 acres after a hunter left a campfire abandoned. Nearly the entire state was in stage two fire restrictions and the entire Santa Fe National Forest was closed at the end of May.
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 30, 11:04 PM MST, 56 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1204 AM MDT Tue May 1 2018 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE VFR conditions prevail and are forecast to persist, except across the far east central/southeast plains where gulf moisture will make a run overnight and may result in MVFR cigs near KROW and KTCC. Gusty southwest winds are forecast once again Tuesday afternoon/evening. 11 && .PREV DISCUSSION...237 PM MDT Mon Apr 30 2018... .SYNOPSIS... Southwest flow aloft to dominate through Tuesday with surface low pressure over southeast CO. This will result in breezy to windy and warm conditions. Energy behind an upper low over ID will deepen as it dives south into southern CA and closes off late Tuesday. The low will then gradually move east to northeast, bringing in moisture for NM. The west and north central areas will benefit the most with showers and thunderstorms and northern mountain snow. The storm will lift away from NM late in the week, with a dry and pleasant weekend shaping up. && .DISCUSSION... Drier has moved into most of NM today with sunshine returning except on the eastern plains. Breezy to windy conditions are noted, most widespread in the northeast where the wind advisory will go until 8 pm MDT. Tonight will be clear to partly cloudy and comfortable. Widespread breezy to windy conditions Tuesday with more critical fire weather concerns. Cant rule out a high based shower west of the Divide but not currently in the forecast. We will begin to see showers and thunderstorms Tuesday evening over the west as a storm from southern CA moves slowly toward us. Precipitation will become rather widespread Wednesday and Wednesday night over west through north central areas. Wet snow could accumulate a few inches above 9K feet. Critical fire weather conditions will be relegated to the east Wednesday. The storm will lift northeast for the end of the week, but a lingering trough of low pressere will keep precipitation chances going for the northern mountains. Meanwhile winds will be less Thursday and Friday while highs are mostly below normal. The weekend is looking nice with dry and milder weather, and light winds! CHJ && .FIRE WEATHER... ...RED FLAG WARNING THROUGH THIS EVENING OVER MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO... ...RED FLAG WARNING TUESDAY OVER MUCH SOUTHERN AND EASTERN NEW MEXICO... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH WEDNESDAY OVER MUCH OF EASTERN NEW MEXICO... Critical fire weather continues through Wednesday each afternoon, subsiding by the end of the week and this weekend. Today, high clouds have cleared across western NM, and will clear across eastern NM by late afternoon and evening. The threat of severe weather has shifted into TX as drier air has pushed the dry-line out NM. SW flow will remain aloft Tue, with MixHgts falling to around 8-10k ft across the state, higher over the far NW. Overnight RH recovery will be rather poor for most except the far east around Clovis and Portales. MinRHs will again fall to near or below critical areawide with critical fire weather again for most of southern and eastern NM. Highs will be a few degrees lower Tue across the west as an upper low approaches the region from the west. Haines6 will be limited to portions of the Sangre's Tue, with spotty Haines6 across the eastern plains Wed. Overnight RH recoveries will be much better across the far west Wed morning as the upper low gets closer. Wed's highs fall 10-15F below normal, although winds will remain breezy to windy for the SW Mtns Wed afternoon. Another round of critical is expected for eastern NM, where above normal temps and strong SW winds remain. The chances for critical fire weather in FWZ106-107 over the east-central plains and middle RGV are iffy at this time and depend on the timing of the aforementioned upper low. It is likely there will at least be a couple of hours of critical in the early afternoon, however high cloud cover through the morning will limit how high temps and how low RHs get that day. Highs 5-10F below normal are also expected for FWZ106-107, so have foregone issuing a Fire Weather Watch there for Wed at this time. If the upper low trends slower, this could change. The fire weather pattern changes in a beneficial way late Wed into Thu as the upper low opens to a trough and brings spotty wetting precip. to western and northern NM. In fact, a dusting to a few inches of snow are possible atop the western and northern high terrain by Thu morning. Thu will see light winds and calm skies, with lingering precip. over the northern mtns diminishing. The GFS has come into much better agreement with the ECMWF long term and shows a calmer, drier pattern for Fri and into the weekend. A weak surge of moisture may make its way into far southern and eastern NM behind a backdoor front and southerly flow by Sat, which will help RH recoveries. 24 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 8 PM MDT Tuesday for the following zones... NMZ103-104-106>109. Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday evening for the following zones... NMZ104-108. && 28
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 413 AM MDT Mon Apr 30 2018 NMZ501>540-011100- 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- 413 AM MDT Mon Apr 30 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A red flag warning is in effect late this morning through early this evening for most of central and northern New Mexico, where low humidities combined with strong winds will create critical fire weather conditions. A wind advisory is in effect this afternoon through early evening for the far northeast highlands, Johnson Mesa, Raton Ridge and the northeast plains. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday A fire weather watch is in effect for the Middle Rio Grande valley and areas along and east of the central mountains Tuesday afternoon through early evening due to strong winds and low humidity. Critical fire conditions will likely develop across the eastern plains Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated. 28
40 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 15, 2018 for areas around Gallup.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018. Minor improvements were made across eastern portions of Curry County.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018. Minor improvements were made across eastern portions of Quay County.
Exceptional drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 15, 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 8, 2018.
Extreme drought conditions over western Catron County from April expanded to all of the southwest mountains through May 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 8, 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 15, 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 15, 2018. Several small wildfires started in the Jemez Mountains. The Santa Fe National Forest was closed at the end of May.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 1, 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 1, 2018. Several small wildfires started along the west slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The Santa Fe National Forest was closed at the end of May.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 15, 2018. The Santa Fe National Forest was closed at the end of May.
Exceptional drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 15, 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April deteriorated to exceptional drought on May 15, 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 8, 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 8, 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 29, 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 8, 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 8, 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from April over parts of the county improved to extreme drought on May 29, 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 15, 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from April continued through May 2018.
Severe drought conditions from April deteriorated to extreme drought on May 15, 2018.
Severe drought conditions were declared on May 15, 2018.
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, May 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: 748880, 748882, 748883, 748885, 748886, 748889, 748891, 748892, 748893, 748895, 748897, 748899, 748900, 748902, 748903, 748905, 748907, 748908, 748910, 748911, 748912, 748915, 748917, 748918, 748919, 748920, 748921, 748922, 748924, 748925, 748926, 748927, 748929, 748930, 748931, 748932, 748934, 748935, 748936, 748937.