A broad upper level trough moving into the southern Rockies on June 7, 2020 allowed a lee side trough to deepen over northeast New Mexico. Southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph were common across much of central and eastern New Mexico.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 broad upper level trough moving into the southern Rockies on June 7, 2020 allowed a lee side trough to deepen over northeast New Mexico. Southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph were common across much of central and eastern New Mexico. The strongest winds impacted the eastern plains where peak winds gusted to near 58 mph from near Raton to Capulin.
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 Jun 7, 11:03 AM MST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1203 PM MDT Sun Jun 7 2020 .UPDATE... Issued a Wind Advisory for the Chuska Mountains and Gallup for the remainder of this afternoon and into the early evening, in accordance with recent model and observation trends. && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE Southwest winds will become strong today and again on Monday. Strengthening flow aloft will cause gusty conditions to linger longer into this evening than normal. There will be widespread critical fire weather conditions both today and Monday, so please report any fires if you see them. 44 && .PREV DISCUSSION...221 AM MDT Sun Jun 7 2020... .SYNOPSIS... Warm, dry and windy conditions will be the rule again today. More of the same is expected on Monday, though temperatures will cool several degrees. Critical fire weather conditions are expected area wide both days. A storm system will cross northern New Mexico and Colorado Monday night which will bring much cooler temperatures to the state on Tuesday. High temperatures on Tuesday will generally be 5 to 15 degrees below early June normals. Temperatures will steadily increase Wednesday through the end of the week. Precipitation chances return to the forecast by Thursday and continue through the weekend. && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY)... Low level moisture from the Pecos Valley eastward early this morning should decrease as the day progresses today, while very dry air remains aloft. Highs today will trend a little cooler central and west. It will be slightly warmer over portions of the east, where highs will run about 5 to as much as 13 degrees above average. Highs on Monday will be progressively cooler with near to above normal warmth lingering over the east but highs over the west and central will cool to near to below normal. The wind today through Monday will be the more outstanding element of the weather. Models are consistent forecasting some stronger winds over northeast NM this afternoon, and have gone ahead with a wind advisory there. Breezy conditions will linger into the overnight hours over the north and east, then the wind resumes on Monday only more southwest to westerly as the base of an upper level trough tracks to the Four Corners region and a substantial cold front is poised to enter NM. LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)... The sharp upper level trough will cross NM and CO on Monday night. An associated cold front will plow through the CWA from NW to SE and low temperatures by Tuesday morning will be a stark difference from recent days. A few areas may dip down to the freezing mark across the west, including around Gallup. 700 mb temperatures are impressively cool for this time of year, generally around 0 to -2C across northern NM early Tuesday morning. The NAM and ECMWF is slower to eject the trough eastward Tuesday morning than the GFS, as both the NAM/EC weakly close it off. Temperatures are likely to be well below normal on Tuesday afternoon, regardless of model choice. That said, forecast highs for Tuesday continue to trend downward, and if the NAM is correct, may have to be lowered considerably more. Strong winds behind the back door segment of the front will likely make it feel just a bit cooler as well. Winds will relax Tuesday evening, then 500mb heights will slowly increase through Wednesday as the upper high builds to the south. The GFS continues to show a front sliding into the eastern plains late Wednesday, but it is notably absent from other models. As the ridge continues to build over NM, weak southerly flow will draw moisture up and increase thunderstorm potential on Thursday. The GFS may be a bit overdone, but at least isolated storms will be possible mainly near and south of I-40. Another round of storms is expected for Friday, though the jury is still out with regards to which part of the state will have the best chances. Models are quite inconsistent when it comes to the weekend pattern, though not out of the question more storms are in store. 34 && .FIRE WEATHER... ...WIDESPREAD CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY AND MONDAY... Drying will continue over NM today, with low level moisture over portions of eastern NM early this morning decreasing as the day progresses. Highs today will range from near normal far west to about 5-13 degrees warmer than normal across the east. In addition, a broad area of single digit humidities, persisting for 5 to 10 hours, will stretch from the RGV to the Pecos Valley. Consequently the Red Flag warning remains in effect today for all of northern and central NM. Winds may be slow to decrease this evening, and will remain breezy during the overnight hours tonight, then resume on Monday, but will be more southwest to westerly. Cooler air will begin to filter into the west, but the strong winds combined with another round of single digit humidities, persisting through the afternoon for a large portion of the region, will result in widespread critical fire weather conditions. Went ahead and upgraded to a Red Flag Warning for all of northern and central NM on Monday. Tuesday will be the coolest day of the week, as a strong cold front sweeps over the region Monday night. Expect a strong northerly wind shift associated with the front over northeast NM Monday night. Highs will be 5-15 degrees cooler than normal overall on Tuesday, but dry air will persist and portions of the Middle RGV will see a sustained 8-12 hours of single digit humidities. There will be spotty critical conditions Tuesday over portions of the East Central Plains and Central Highlands. Wednesday and Thursday will be warmer although moisture may sneak back into the state, increasing chances for thunderstorms over the east Thursday through Saturday. && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ101>109. Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 PM MDT Monday for the following zones... NMZ101>109. Wind Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ202-205-227>232. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 247 AM MDT Sun Jun 7 2020 NMZ201>241-081100- Northwest Plateau-Chuska Mountains-Far Northwest Highlands- Northwest Highlands-West Central Plateau-West Central Mountains- West Central Highlands-Southwest Mountains- San Francisco River Valley-Tusas Mountains Including Chama- Jemez Mountains-Glorieta Mesa Including Glorieta Pass- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains- East Slopes Sangre de Cristo Mountains-Upper Rio Grande Valley- Espanola Valley-Santa Fe Metro Area- Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area- Lower Rio Grande Valley-Sandia/Manzano Mountains Including Edgewood- Estancia Valley-Central Highlands-South Central Highlands- Upper Tularosa Valley-South Central Mountains- Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton Pass- 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- San Agustin Plains and Adjacent Lowlands- 247 AM MDT Sun Jun 7 2020 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 this afternoon and early evening across all of northern and central New Mexico where low humidities combined with strong winds will create critical fire weather conditions. The strongest winds are expected across northeast New Mexico, where gusts near 50 mph will be possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday A Red Flag Warning is also in effect on Monday area wide due to strong winds combined with low humidities creating critical fire weather conditions. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Contact your local law enforcement at 911 and the National Weather Service at 1.888.386.7637 to report wildfire outbreaks. 34
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Raton airport reported sustained winds up to 44 mph.
Wind gusts up to 59 mph were reported near Capulin.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, June 2020
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: 885788, 885787.