Drought conditions across northern and central New Mexico continued to worsen during the month of November 2020. November saw below normal precipitation across the entire area with extreme to exceptional drought worsening to about 79 percent of the state.
Every event with a place to put it; 41 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.
Drought conditions across northern and central New Mexico continued to worsen during the month of November 2020. November saw below normal precipitation across the entire area with extreme to exceptional drought worsening to about 79 percent of the state. While a couple storm systems impacted the area throughout the month, only relatively light precipitation was recorded with each. Western New Mexico generally saw precipitation totals around half an inch to an inch while central and eastern New Mexico received amounts less than half an inch. The northern high terrain continued to fare the best with liquid equivalent amounts of one to two inches.
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, 10:31 PM MST, 1 hour 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1131 PM MDT Sat Oct 31 2020 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE Sheets of high clouds will cross southern, western and central areas for the remainder of tonight and Sunday. The east canyon wind previously expected at ABQ for the remainder of tonight now looks much weaker than previously expected. Otherwise, VFR conditions are expected for the next 24 hours. 44 && .PREV DISCUSSION...326 PM MDT Sat Oct 31 2020... .SYNOPSIS... A dry cold front will move southward through eastern New Mexico this evening, pushing west into the Rio Grande Valley and points west after midnight. Cooler temperatures will result Sunday with high temperatures around 10 degrees cooler east and several degrees of cooling central and west. Temperatures rebound quickly Monday with dry and relatively warm weather continuing through the work week. && .DISCUSSION... .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT)... A quasi-stationary Baja low is tapping into Pacific moisture and is spreading it over the Desert Southwest and New Mexico in the form of mid and high clouds. Otherwise, an upper level trough is ejecting out of the northern/central Rockies and pushing a cold front down the front range. The backdoor front will push down our eastern plains this evening and then west through the central mountain chain resulting in a gusty east canyon/gap wind. Gusts to between 30- 35 mph are forecast into east Albuquerque within an hour or two of midnight and should subside around sunrise. Highs on Sunday will be below normal across the eastern plains behind the cold front and near to above normal elsewhere. One wouln't forecast those temperatures given 500mb heights alone, which are forecast to be 590- 592dam over the area. This will amount to new daily record 500mb heights by at least 2dam! LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... A mostly dry and weak upper-level low is forecast to result in increasing breezes for eastern NM Monday and Tuesday along with mid and high clouds for western and northern portions of the state Monday night and Tuesday. A lee-side trough in northeast NM will result in increasing southwest breezes that will likely lead to some downslope warming effects. Decided to go with the warmer temperature guidance across eastern NM for much of next week given the upper level pattern resulting in lee side troughs/surface lows. Focus then shifts to a deep/cold upper-level trough taking shape across the Western U.S. late next week. Current deep convection in the far EPAC associated with an Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) in phase 7 will help draw this feature farther south. GFS and ECWMF and their ensemble members agree that colder and more active weather is in NM's next weekend. Southwest flow aloft ahead of this feature is looking likely, likely keeping snow level relatively Saturday night or Sunday, rapidly lowering in western and northern portions of the state behind the associated cold front sometime Sunday. The winter outlook for central and northern NM will be out late next week, once the November climate model runs are complete. In a nutshell, our historic October winter-like storm system from last week and the the upcoming storm system are indicative of a La Nina similar to 2016 when at least northern NM had near average precipitation. The caveat this year has to do with a stronger La Nina centered farther west or a Modoki (CPAC) flavored oscillation. Last week showed that a Modoki flavored La Nina has it's upsides. When deep tropical convection in the CPAC abruptly ends thanks to a quiet EPAC, a high amplitude ridge develops over the EPAC (flow aloft is geostrophic suddenly has to become super-geostrophic splitting the flow) and a cold upper-low drops into the western and southwestern U.S. 11/33 && .FIRE WEATHER... A backdoor cold front will bring cooler conditions to much of the area Sunday, but a rapid warm-up thereafter will bring temperatures above normal areawide Monday. A weak trough will move over the region Tuesday night into Wednesday, with shortwave ridging and even warmer temperatures following on Thursday. Winds and vent rates will trend up significantly by the end of the work-week and into the weekend as a potent upper level trough/low approaches from the west coast. Winds will likely reach critical threshold Sat/Sun in advance of the trough/low, but the latest medium range model solutions are showing the trough fetching Pacific moisture and resulting in higher humidity and potential for wetting precipitation. Forecast confidence in critical fire weather conditions next Sat/Sun is low at this time. 11 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 230 AM MDT Sat Oct 31 2020 NMZ201>241-011100- Northwest Plateau-Chuska Mountains-Far Northwest Highlands- Northwest Highlands-West Central Plateau-West Central Mountains- West Central Highlands-Southwest Mountains- San Francisco River Valley-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- 230 AM MDT Sat Oct 31 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. However, weather can change very rapidly. Always use the latest forecasts, watches and warnings for planning purposes. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated. 24
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
41 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November. Exceptional drought conditions expanded to include most of the Northwest Plateau.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across western Cibola and McKinley counties.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across western portions of the area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across southern portions of the area.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across all of the area.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with extreme drought conditions developing across all of the area.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions expanding to include all of the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions expanding to include all of the Espanola Valley.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across western portions of the area.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November. Exceptional drought conditions began to develop across far southern Guadalupe County.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the county.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the county.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the county.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the area.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across the area.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across the entire area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across the entire area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across western portions of the area.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across the entire area.
Severe drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with extreme drought conditions developing across eastern portions of the Albuquerque metro area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the area.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across the entire area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across most of the area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across the entire area.
Extreme drought conditions from October 2020 worsened in November with exceptional drought conditions developing across the entire area.
Severe drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Severe drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Severe drought conditions from October 2020 continued in November.
Severe drought conditions developed across the area during October 2020. Below normal precipitation amounts set the stage for deteriorating drought conditions.
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, November 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: 923045, 923046, 923047, 923048, 923049, 923050, 923051, 923052, 923053, 923054, 923055, 923056, 923057, 923058, 923059, 923060, 923061, 923062, 923063, 923064, 923065, 923066, 923067, 923068, 923069, 923070, 923071, 923072, 923073, 923074, 923075, 923076, 923077, 923078, 923079, 923080, 923081, 923082, 923083, 923084, and more.