A very moist and unstable airmass in place along the Front Range of the Rockies on August 13, 2019 set the stage for an active night of severe weather over northeastern New Mexico through the morning hours of August 14, 2019. A large complex of showers and thunderstorms first developed over eastern Colorado before shifting southward down the eastern plains of New Mexico.
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 very moist and unstable airmass in place along the Front Range of the Rockies on August 13, 2019 set the stage for an active night of severe weather over northeastern New Mexico through the morning hours of August 14, 2019. A large complex of showers and thunderstorms first developed over eastern Colorado before shifting southward down the eastern plains of New Mexico. The strongest storms impacted the area from near Clayton southward to Nara Visa where hail, high winds, frequent lightning, and torrential rainfall were reported. The most significant impacts occurred around Nara Visa where quarter size hail, severe winds, and three inches of rainfall resulted in damage to roofs and trees in the area.
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 Aug 13, 10:47 PM MST, 2 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1147 PM MDT Tue Aug 13 2019 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE The focus for shower or thunderstorm activity overnight and Wednesday morning will be in northeastern New Mexico where a surface boundary is moving in. A few lingering showers are also struggling along and near the Continental Divide of western New Mexico, but these should be rathershort-lived and weak with only localized rain and wind gusts. Scattered storms will redevelop Wednesday, extending over the Gila and southwestern mountains and also along and east of the central mountain chain. Thunderstorm hazards will include the typical downburst wind threats along with reduced visibility/ceiling during downpours. A few stronger storms could produce larger hail in portions of east central to northeastern New Mexico Wednesday afternoon and evening. 52 && .PREV DISCUSSION...327 PM MDT Tue Aug 13 2019... .SYNOPSIS... Showers and storms will focus over eastern New Mexico through Friday while much of western New Mexico remains dry. A few of the storms over eastern New Mexico may become strong with locally heavy rain, strong winds, hail, and frequent lightning. The best shot for storms in the Rio Grande Valley will be Wednesday and Thursday mainly south of Santa Fe. Unseasonably strong high pressure is then expected to develop over New Mexico by the weekend which would bring near record heat and very few storms. && .DISCUSSION... The latest guidance advertised some rather big changes to the near- term forecast due to subtle convective features within the overall pattern across the Rockies. A few strong storms have developed over Union County as northwest flow aloft interacts with moist, unstable southeast low level flow. This activity will move into the TX panhandle thru the evening. 12z-18Z model guidance is now showing a strong MCS rolling southward down the Front Range tonight which will force a moist low level boundary into eastern NM Wednesday morning. The 12Z HREF/NAM show robust convective coverage over the east Wednesday afternoon with moist, upslope flow along and east of the central mt chain. There are concerns regarding available instability in the wake of the MCS however it will have occurred early enough in the day to allow for more storms by late afternoon. A couple model members indicate storms firing up from the ABQ metro area southward late Wednesday but significant dry air aloft may inhibit convective initiation. The changes advertised through Wednesday night will effect how the convective pattern evolves into Thursday. The latest guidance shows much greater coverage along and south of I-40 east of the Cont Dvd Thursday and Friday. Confidence is still low on how wet storms will actually be within central and western NM due to significant deep layer dry air currently in place across much of the southwest CONUS. Despite model struggles in the short and medium range, there is improving consistency on an unseasonably strong upper level high taking hold of AZ and NM starting this weekend. The 12Z ECMWF shows a 599dm H5 high with very little convective activity and near record high temperatures. The 12Z GFS shows a strong upper high as well but continues to recycle moisture through early next week. Given the more favorable drier ECMWF solutions this season the extended PoPs have been trimmed back to slight chance in most areas for now. Guyer && .FIRE WEATHER... Best chances for wetting thunderstorm rainfall this evening will be in the eastern plains with excellent overnight humidity recoveries. Wednesday will likely be the most active day of the week, with scattered showers / storms favoring much of the area excluding the Four Corners region. In fact, some of the activity from the northwest mountains to the Continental Divide in west central NM may be a mixture of wet and drier storms, and this may result in gusty outflow winds and small wetting footprints. Meanwhile, high Haines values can be expected across NMZ101 and portions of NMZ102. A downtick in activity will likely occur over northern and central NM for Thursday, with westerly flow aloft reducing precipitation chances further for Friday. This will result in warmer readings and lower humidities through the rest of the week. Minimum RH values will drop below 15 percent on Sat/Sun. For early next week, a strong high centroid will be centered over the Land of Enchantment, suppressing moisture advection and precip chances. KJ && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 511 PM MDT Tue Aug 13 2019 NMZ501>540-141130- 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- 511 PM MDT Tue Aug 13 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Tonight Showers and storms across eastern New Mexico will continue to diminish as they move east toward the Texas border this evening. Brief heavy rain and hail are possible until around sunset. Isolated showers and a few thunderstorms are forecast to move into the northeast quarter of the state during the early morning hours Wednesday as a backdoor cold front moves into the region. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday Thunderstorm coverage will increase Wednesday. Storm motions will be slow and rainfall could become heavy. This may lead to localized areas of flash flooding, especially over and near recent and older burn scars. A few strong storms may also produce hail and wind gusts to 50 mph across the eastern half of the the area. .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 1258 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019 NMZ530-140730- Union County- 1258 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL UNION COUNTY UNTIL 130 AM MDT... At 1257 AM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 16 miles south of Mount Dora, or 18 miles southwest of Clayton, moving east at 20 mph. Nickel size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of central Union County. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... 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 3626 10363 3645 10355 3638 10313 3607 10324 TIME...MOT...LOC 0657Z 287DEG 15KT 3629 10345 Shoemake
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
121 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019
NMZ530-534-140745-
Union County-Quay County-
121 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHEASTERN QUAY AND
SOUTHEASTERN UNION COUNTIES UNTIL 145 AM MDT...
At 121 AM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 11
miles south of Hayden, or 11 miles southwest of Amistad, moving east
at 10 mph.
Nickel size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with
this storm.
This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of northeastern Quay
and southeastern Union Counties.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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 3561 10312 3574 10338 3582 10337 3591 10334
3587 10305
TIME...MOT...LOC 0721Z 288DEG 11KT 3581 10332
ShoemakeSpecial Weather Statement National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 128 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019 NMZ530-531-140800- Union County-Harding County- 128 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EASTERN HARDING AND SOUTHEASTERN UNION COUNTIES UNTIL 200 AM MDT... At 128 AM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 14 miles northwest of Hayden, or 21 miles northwest of Amistad, moving east at 15 mph. Nickel size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Hayden and Sedan. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy building. 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 3605 10352 3630 10343 3625 10307 3591 10318 TIME...MOT...LOC 0728Z 288DEG 11KT 3616 10339 Shoemake
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 141 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019 NMZ527-528-530-140815- Far Northeast Highlands-Union County-Raton Ridge/Johnson Mesa- 141 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL UNION AND SOUTHEASTERN COLFAX COUNTIES UNTIL 215 AM MDT... At 140 AM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8 miles northwest of Farley, or 26 miles southwest of Des Moines, moving southeast at 10 mph. Nickel size hail and wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Farley. && LAT...LON 3646 10426 3657 10409 3645 10374 3623 10411 TIME...MOT...LOC 0740Z 320DEG 10KT 3646 10412 24
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
147 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019
NMZ530-534-140830-
Union County-Quay County-
147 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHEASTERN QUAY AND
SOUTHEASTERN UNION COUNTIES UNTIL 230 AM MDT...
At 147 AM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 10
miles southwest of Amistad, moving east at 10 mph.
Nickel size hail and wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph will be possible with
this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Nara Visa.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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 3573 10338 3577 10338 3591 10332 3588 10304
3556 10304
TIME...MOT...LOC 0747Z 287DEG 7KT 3581 10327
24Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
215 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019
NMZ528-530-140845-
Far Northeast Highlands-Union County-
215 AM MDT Wed Aug 14 2019
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL UNION AND EASTERN
COLFAX COUNTIES UNTIL 245 AM MDT...
At 215 AM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Farley, or 28 miles south of Des Moines, moving southeast at 10 mph.
Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Gladstone and Farley.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy
building.
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 3637 10371 3617 10389 3617 10394 3634 10413
3649 10400
TIME...MOT...LOC 0815Z 306DEG 10KT 3637 10400
ShoemakeThe Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 114 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:15 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
High winds damaged a home several miles northwest of Nara Visa. Windows were blown out of the home and trees were toppled in the area. Damage amounts are a rough estimate for roof and window damage.
High winds and large hail resulted in roof damage to at least one home in Nara Visa. Damage amounts are a rough estimate for one home.
Quarter size hail and high winds damaged the roof of at least one home in Nara Visa. Damage amounts were included in the associated high wind report.
NMDOT closed NM-267 between mile markers 11 and 16 due to flash flooding near Floyd.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2019
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: 836543, 836541, 836542, 836958.