Widespread moderate to severe drought conditions at the end of October 2018 continued to improve through November 2018 across southern and eastern portions of the state. Unfortunately, extreme to exceptional drought conditions persisted over the northwestern half of the state despite more frequent rounds of light rain showers and mountain snow.
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 moderate to severe drought conditions at the end of October 2018 continued to improve through November 2018 across southern and eastern portions of the state. Unfortunately, extreme to exceptional drought conditions persisted over the northwestern half of the state despite more frequent rounds of light rain showers and mountain snow. Severe drought conditions improved to 36 percent of the state, of which around 21 percent was deemed extreme drought or worse. Exceptional drought remained at roughly 15 percent of New Mexico. Drought conditions were removed from much of far eastern New Mexico and southern portions of the state. Precipitation amounts for November 2018 ranged from around one half inch to one inch of parts of eastern New Mexico. A couple winter storm systems moved through the northern mountains and brought much needed snowfall to the region. Snow pack conditions by the end of the month were the best in several years for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
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 Oct 31, 10:33 PM MST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1133 PM MDT Wed Oct 31 2018 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE Patchy fog and/or low stratus overnight into Thursday morning. KLVS to be impacted the most with occasional IFR conditions, and possibly KTCC although confidence lower there. Breezy/gusty northwest flow is forecast Thursday afternoon with some gusts to between 25kt and 30kt across portions of northern NM. && .PREV DISCUSSION...255 PM MDT Wed Oct 31 2018... .SYNOPSIS... Colder air spilled into the Land of Enchantment, and an upper level disturbance dropped over the state last night and today, leading to unsettled weather. Heavy snow over the northern mountains has begun to subside with scattered rain and snow showers still persisting over portions of eastern New Mexico. Far western New Mexico has observed clearing skies, but most central to eastern areas of the state remain blanketed in cloud cover. Precipitation is expected to continue decreasing this evening with cloud cover also thinning. Temperatures will rebound several degrees on Thursday, but will still run significantly below average, and breezy north northwest winds will add to the chill in many locations. Dry conditions will persist into Friday as temperatures climb closer to normal, but another disturbance aloft could replenish the cooler air this weekend. && .DISCUSSION... The upper level trough axis is currently bisecting NM with a mid to high level cloud shield advancing into TX and low level moisture hanging back over central to eastern NM. Precipitation has turned much less widespread over the past few hours, and this trend should continue into the early evening as the trough aloft advances farther east. It appears we are on track to allow the winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings to expire on schedule. Have left in some low POPs over the northern mountains overnight, but otherwise dry conditions are anticipated by early Thursday morning. Temperature guidance has come up a couple degrees around ABQ, but portions of the valley (immediately along the Rio Grande) should still observe freezing temperatures tonight into early Thursday morning...so the freeze warning will continue. Dry, but cool and brisk weather will be observed Thursday with breezy to windy north northwest flow. Most of the mid level moisture should be exiting, and other than a few high cirrus clouds, mostly sunny skies are forecast. Despite the stout meridional component to the flow aloft, a warm-up will ensue, yet high temperatures will still be 5 to 10 degrees below early November climatology. The northwest component to the flow aloft will be retained into Friday, although the direction will back a bit with a reduction in speeds aloft. Rising pressure heights will nudge temperatures up closer to average, and again just a few cirrus are expected. Forecast models struggled to gain a secure handle on last night and today's perturbation, with regards to both the strength and the track. There was a lack of run-to-run continuity and large inconsistencies between each model member as they all repeatedly flip-flopped. Therefore, there is some apprehension when looking ahead to upcoming pertubations this weekend and next week. The first short wave, depicted to cross the central Rockies and dive into the southern plains as a clipper, shows similar inconsistencies already with the GFS being deeper and slower with the progression Saturday and Saturday night when compared to its European counterpart. Subsequent and comparable short waves for Monday and Monday night, as well as Wednesday night and Thursday also have discrepancies. Have kept POPs on the lower side with each of these wave passages, and the reduction in temperatures seems to be garnering more confidence at this point. For now, precipitation accumulations, whether rain or high elevation snow, would be on the lighter side this weekend and next week, and below normal temperatures appear to be the bigger takeaway right now. However, subsequent shifts will remain focused on these short waves as model discrepancies hopefully shrink. 52 && .FIRE WEATHER... There will be a slight chance of lingering showers in the northern mountains tonight, and across Curry and Roosevelt Counties this evening, as an upper level trough exits the area. In the wake of the exiting storm system, northwest winds will be breezy across western areas on Thursday, and humidities will fall around 6 to 46 degrees below today's readings. After a cold night tonight in which the first widespread freeze of the season is expected in much of the middle Rio Grande valley, temperatures will rebound Thursday through Friday night. Since northwest flow aloft will persist, highs will remain on the cool side while inching closer to normal by Friday. An upper level trough exiting southeastward from the central Rockies will clip NM with a chance for rain and snow showers in the northern mountains and across the eastern plains Saturday and Saturday night. Rain or liquid equivalent amounts will remain on the light side with most values potentially reaching around 0.10 of an inch. The system will send a gusty cold front southeastward through the state dropping temperatures Saturday and Sunday. Breezy to windy conditions are expected on Saturday with the potential for gusts to 50 mph across the northwest plateau and also on the far eastern plains. Minimum humidities should vary around 24 to 44 percent. Another upper level trough and associated cold front in northwest flow aloft will produce a repeat of Saturday and Saturday night's weather on Monday and Monday night, with falling temperatures, breezy to windy conditions, and a chance for precip mainly across the northern mountains and eastern plains. Areas of poor ventilation are expected in the wake of each weather system, namely on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. 44 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Freeze Warning from 3 AM to 9 AM MDT Thursday for the following zones... NMZ519. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 330 AM MDT Wed Oct 31 2018 NMZ501>540-011200- 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- 330 AM MDT Wed Oct 31 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Rain and snow will continue over the north and east today, then taper off by early this evening. Travel impacts due to snow include Interstate 25 from Glorieta to Raton Pass and Highway 64/87 from Raton to Clayton. High temperatures across the region today will vary from about 10 to nearly 30 degrees colder than normal. A widespread freeze is likely for the Middle Rio Grande Valley and Albuquerque Metro tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday 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... Spotters are encouraged to report snowfall amounts and impacts 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.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
943 PM MDT WED OCT 31 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0805 PM SNOW 5 NNE GLORIETA 35.65N 105.75W
10/31/2018 E2.0 INCH SANTA FE NM TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER ABQ201800923
CA30 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018 for areas around Gallup.
Moderate to severe drought conditions for western Quay County from October improved to abnormally dry through November 2018.
Severe drought conditions from October continued to improve to moderate drought through November 2018.
Severe drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Severe drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Severe drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018 for most of the area. Exceptional drought conditions improved to extreme drought for the southern portion of the area.
Exceptional drought conditions from October improved to extreme drought through November 2018.
Exceptional to extreme drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Exceptional drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Severe drought conditions from October continued through November 2018.
Severe drought conditions from October improved to moderate drought through November 2018. Southeast Santa Fe County remained in severe drought in November.
Severe drought conditions from October continued to improve to moderate drought through November 2018. Southern Santa Fe County remained in severe drought in November.
Severe drought conditions from October improved to moderate drought through November 2018.
Moderate to severe drought conditions from October improved to abnormally dry through November 2018.
Moderate to severe drought conditions from October improved to abnormally dry through November 2018.
Extreme drought conditions from October improved to severe drought through November 2018.
Moderate to severe drought conditions from October improved to abnormally dry through November 2018.
Moderate to severe drought conditions from October improved to abnormally dry through November 2018.
Severe drought conditions from October continued through November 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, November 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: 788142, 788143, 788144, 788145, 788146, 788147, 788148, 788149, 788150, 788151, 788152, 788153, 788154, 788155, 788156, 788157, 788158, 788159, 788160, 788161, 788162, 788163, 788164, 788165, 788166, 788167, 788168, 788169, 788170, 788171.