Strong west to northwest flow aloft over northern New Mexico produced mountain wave activity along the east slopes of the central mountain chain during the late evening hours of March 23, 2020. Most locations experienced wind gusts in the 35 to 45 mph range for several hours.
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The episode as NWS ABQ wrote it up.
Strong west to northwest flow aloft over northern New Mexico produced mountain wave activity along the east slopes of the central mountain chain during the late evening hours of March 23, 2020. Most locations experienced wind gusts in the 35 to 45 mph range for several hours. However, a mountain wave crashed at the Raton Airport and produced a peak wind gust up to 61 mph. No damage was reported with this event.
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 Mar 23, 10:10 PM MST, 1 hour earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1110 PM MDT Mon Mar 23 2020 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE Strong zonal flow aloft will allow for occasional wly wind gusts to around 35kt along the east slopes of the central mt chain through 12Z. Lcl MVFR to IFR cigs to obscure mts along and west of the Contdvd and north of Interstate 40 including KFMN and KGUP through 14Z before improving. IFR cigs associated with a weak surface wind shift may also clip far ne NM before 13Z, but surface lee trough developing by 21Z. && .PREV DISCUSSION...256 PM MDT Mon Mar 23 2020... .SYNOPSIS... A modestly active pattern through the next seven days with storms impacting NM this afternoon into tonight, Thursday through Friday and maybe early next week. Aside from the expected precipitation the winds will let us know it's Spring with strong winds this afternoon and early evening, and on Wednesday and Thursday. Precipitation chances will be favorable for this afternoon and evening, and again late Thursday through Friday. Tuesday will be a fine day with lots of sunshine, less wind and mild temperatures. Along with the strong winds Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures will be quite warm. Next weekend is looking nice. && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT)... A weakening low will open to a trough as it moves over NM late this evening and tonight, producing mostly showers and high mountain snow across the northern tier of the state. There is enough instability associated ahead of this system to allow for a stray thunderstorm through San Juan and Rio Arriba Counties this evening. Meanwhile, windy westerlies are strengthening this hour and are expected to peak late today continuing into the evening thanks to a Pacific cold front moving through. Peak gusts of 35 to 50 mph can be expected mainly along the continental divide and along and just east of the central mountain chain. Wind Advisories for these areas will continue to 10pm this evening, with advisory winds possibly lingering at Clines Corners to midnight. Zonal flow aloft sets in Tuesday with lighter but still breezy westerlies remaining. Temperatures will be pleasant with near 60 across western and northern NM, mid to upper 60s in the RGV at ABQ, and 70s for the lower RGV and eastern plains. LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... Winds will really crank up Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the next upstream short wave trough. Winds will reach advisory level Wednesday and especially Thursday across the east, with the western higher terrain also reaching advisory levels Thursday. Showers and some thunderstorms are expected Thursday through Friday, with high mountain snow. Temperatures will be quite warm Wednesday and Thursday. The upper trough will finally cross NM Friday with cooler temperatures. The weekend is looking decent with dry weather. Highs Saturday will be on the cool side, several degrees below normal, while Sunday warms up to near normal. && .FIRE WEATHER... Elevated to locally critical fire weather this afternoon across mostly the southern half of the state vacates the area Tuesday as winds calm. Daytime highs Wednesday will be 10-15F above normal across the eastern plains, with breezy to locally windy conditions will combining with MinRHs in the low teens to create critical fire weather. The lone limiting factor will be moderate Haines, and so a Fire Weather Watch issuance will be handed off to the subsequent shift. Widespread excellent ventilation Wednesday continues Thursday turning out of the southwest. Temperatures will remain well above normal across eastern NM with stronger southwest winds and a Haines6 looking to arrive through northeastern NM. There is some uncertainty regarding just how dry it will be with current forecast MinRHs dipping only to the upper teens, so there may only be elevated fire weather concerns. Stay tuned for Thursday. A weak weather system brings showers favoring the northern tier of the state Thursday night into Friday with cooler temperatures Friday. Conditions dry out and trend warmer for the weekend. && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 318 AM MDT Mon Mar 23 2020 NMZ201>241-241100- 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- 318 AM MDT Mon Mar 23 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Breezy to windy conditions will develop across the area today with the strongest winds expected across the east. A Wind Advisory is in effect this afternoon and evening for portions of the central mountain chain and Central Highlands. Wind speeds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts near 55 mph may create difficult driving conditions along north-to-south oriented roads. In addition, a few hours of near critical fire weather conditions will be possible this afternoon for the east and Rio Grande Valley. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday Less wind is expected Tuesday although breezy conditions will persist across east central NM. Strong winds redevelop Wednesday and Thursday across the area with the strongest winds again expected in the east. Critical fire weather conditions are again possible for eastern and central NM, especially on Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated. 15
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Raton airport reported a peak wind gust up to 61 mph.
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, March 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: 873502.