Drought conditions across northern and central New Mexico remained largely unchanged during the month of April 2021. The month of April was one that was mainly defined by dry and windy conditions for New Mexico with high fire danger noted over several days.
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 remained largely unchanged during the month of April 2021. The month of April was one that was mainly defined by dry and windy conditions for New Mexico with high fire danger noted over several days. Extreme to exceptional drought worsened slightly to about 81 percent with about 53 percent deemed exceptional drought. A slow-moving storm system did impact the area over the last couple days of April which brought beneficial rainfall. The high terrain areas of northern and western New Mexico saw the highest precipitation amounts with totals of about 1 to 2 inches. Central and eastern New Mexico received amounts generally around a quarter of an inch to half an inch of precipitation. However, it was the Four Corners area as well as the northeast corner of the state which received the least amount of precipitation with amounts generally around a tenth of an inch or less.
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 31, 11:05 PM MST, 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1205 AM MDT Thu Apr 1 2021 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE VFR. A weak storm system moving in from the west aft 02/00Z will spread mid level cloud cover into wrn NM along with gusty south to southwest winds. && .PREV DISCUSSION...208 PM MDT Wed Mar 31 2021... .SYNOPSIS... A mostly dry weather forecast through the middle of next week with a significant warming trend. In fact, we will be near a few record highs in the west Saturday, and more widespread records on Sunday and Monday and perhaps even Tuesday. Our only precipitation chances will be Friday into Friday evening and next Tuesday into Wednesday. The best chances, and not all that great, will be Friday when a closed low over northern Baja, CA Thursday moves east but weakens over NM Friday. But there will be a fair amount of mid level moisture, hopefully enough to overcome the very dry surface conditions. This is a good setup for dry showers as well as thunderstorms with dangerous virga bombs. The western and northern mountains are the most likely, where steep 700mb to 500mb lapse rates and negative LI's are forecast. The Tuesday/Wednesday system looks meager at best, with a little precipitation possible in the northern mountains. In between it will be very and quite warm with widespread near record and record-breaking high temperatures Saturday through at least Monday. 40 && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT)... Dry and fairly calm weather will remain through tonight with light terrain driven winds. Models are hinting at some light easterlies overnight into Thursday morning which will help improve surface moisture into the Rio Grande Valley, hopefully removing these dreadfully low single-digit and negative dewpoints currently being observed. Pressure heights rise with a ridge of high pressure translating across the state Thursday. Southerly winds also increase across the eastern plains as temperatures overall warm up 5F-15F over today's readings into the 60s for many areas and 50s at higher elevations. LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... Friday will be our best chance for some precipitation, but the chances are small. A closed low over northern Baja will weaken as it ejects east, northeast across NM Friday. Mid level moisture will be present but the surface will still be dry, setting up a potential for dry storms. Step lapse rates of 9.0 C/km and negative LI's to -3 C will favor the western and northern mountains. Virga bombs will be possible over much of the west and central areas. Unfortunately, the wind may be the highlight instead of any accumulating precipitation. The heat will continue to build Friday through Monday with a few record highs possible in the west as early as Friday. More widespread records are possible over the weekend into early next week. A weak upper low will drift over the state Tuesday into Wednesday with little or no precipitation. In short, most of our CWA will be dry through the middle of next week with toasty temperatures developing. This will easily be our warmest temperatures of the year so far. 24/40 && .FIRE WEATHER... Below normal temperatures warm to within ~5F of normal Thursday as a ridge of high pressure moves overhead. Overall light winds today hold true through tonight before southerly winds begin to increase across eastern New Mexico Thursday afternoon. Overall, elevated conditions can be expected with a short period of critical during the afternoon through the eastern plains Thursday. Will hold off any any RFW issuance for now given relatively low ERC percentiles through the area of critical tomorrow afternoon. Friday sees mid- level moisture improve with a weakening disturbance from the Pacific crossing the state. The warming trend continues despite this, but virga induced erratic gusty winds along with a slight chance at a dry thunderstorm mainly over western and central NM will be the main fire weather concerns. This disturbance clears out slowly Saturday as daily rounds of dry westerlies take hold over western NM meeting a dry line feature through the southeastern and east-central plains of NM Sunday into early next week. 24 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1008 AM MDT Wed Mar 31 2021 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- 1008 AM MDT Wed Mar 31 2021 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north and central New Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight No hazardous weather is expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Isolated to scattered virga and a stray dry thunderstorm are possible Friday focusing over western and central NM, which could produce sudden and erratic gusty winds. .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 March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Exceptional drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
Severe drought conditions from March 2021 continued in April.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2021
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: 946482, 946484, 946486, 946489, 946490, 946491, 946492, 946494, 946495, 946496, 946497, 946498, 946500, 946501, 946502, 946503, 946504, 946505, 946506, 946508, 946509, 946510, 946511, 946513, 946514, 946515, 946516, 946518, 946519, 946520, 946521, 946522, 946525, 946526, 946527, 946529, 946530, 946531, 946532, 946534, and more.