Another typical spring weather pattern set up over New Mexico on April 15, 2022, under exceptionally dry air, strong upper-level winds, and deep atmospheric mixing. Wind gusts were generally measured between 40 and 50 mph across northern and central New Mexico, but a brief wind gust of 58 mph was recorded at Clines Corners.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Another typical spring weather pattern set up over New Mexico on April 15, 2022, under exceptionally dry air, strong upper-level winds, and deep atmospheric mixing. Wind gusts were generally measured between 40 and 50 mph across northern and central New Mexico, but a brief wind gust of 58 mph was recorded at Clines Corners.
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 Apr 15, 10:30 AM MST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1130 AM MDT Fri Apr 15 2022 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE Westerly winds increasing this past hour at areas along and east of the central mountain chain, gusting to 35-45kts. This will continue through mid-afternoon when gust potential should start lessening, despite deeper layer mixing. As winds aloft decrease, LLWS potential is also a lower concern tonight along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. A backdoor cold front will bring a nely then ely wind shift through the eastern plains beginning this evening and progressing west and south through the night, reaching KROW and just east of KSRR by the early morning hours. This boundary will also reach KLVS with wind speeds looking to stay in the 5-12kt range as directions shift sly by the early morning hours there. Otherwise, VFR prevails at all locations through the TAF period. 24 && .PREV DISCUSSION...310 AM MDT Fri Apr 15 2022... .SYNOPSIS... Strong winds and very dry conditions will lead to fire weather concerns through Saturday. The strongest winds today will be along and east of the Central Mountain Chain, but on Saturday, the strongest winds will be felt across central and western New Mexico. Less wind is expected for Sunday and Monday, which will also ease critical fire weather concerns. Unfortunately, widespread windy conditions will return on Tuesday. Temperatures look to stay at or above normal through the next week despite a couple of backdoor cold fronts. && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY)... Moderate zonal flow aloft continues today and Saturday with breezy to windy surface winds over much of New Mexico each afternoon. In between today and Saturday a back door cold front will descend into eastern NM tonight, with a sudden wind change to the northeast. The front will come to rest on the east slopes of the central mountain chain, including Las Vegas and the Hermits Peak Fire, and perhaps around Ruidoso, including the McBride Fire. Wind speeds in this corridor should be fairly light, around 10 mph. The wind shift in Las Vegas will be near or after midnight tonight. The wind shift around Ruidoso will be more gradual, going from west to southeast Saturday morning. Borderline wind advisory speeds are possible today, especially around Clines Corners, but too small of an area to issue wind highlights. While the strongest winds today will be over the central mountains and their east slopes, the strongest winds Saturday will be across the west and northeast, approaching wind advisory speeds. The high temperatures will increase again today, rising above normals. It will be noticeably cooler in the east Saturday behind the front, while the west remains warm, even a little warmer than today. LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY)... The weak upper level trough will continue to cross NM/CO Saturday evening. The atmosphere will be slow to decouple, allowing breeziness to continue at lower elevations and thereby keeping any moisture return confined to near the OK and TX borders. Weak ridging is expected over the state on Sunday. Fortunately, this will keep wind speeds at a more reasonable level than the past week, but yes, still some breezes likely, especially from the Sangre de Cristo Mtns to the Central Highlands. Winds will relax Sunday night. However, a weak backdoor front will push into eastern NM, but surface winds will quickly veer around to the southeast, which will allow modest Gulf moisture to return to the eastern plains. By mid morning Monday, this wind shift should make it to the east slopes of the Central Mountain Chain, but it looks to at least partially, mix back eastward during the afternoon Monday. If nothing else, it will prevent single digit humidity values from occurring across much of the plains Monday afternoon. Elsewhere, there will still be westerly breezes to contend with. Gulf moisture will slosh back to the west Monday night, making it at least to the Central Mountain Chain, if not barely squeak through to the Rio Grande Valley. Unfortunately, it will be short-lived. Westerly flow aloft on Tuesday will strengthen in response to a trough moving over the PacNW. Deep mixing combined with a deepening surface low over SE CO will allow strong westerly winds across much of NM. This will mix out the moisture probably to the Texas border. A stray shower or storm remains possible across the east central or southeast plains as the moisture mixes eastward, but confidence is low. That said, winds on Tuesday look to be the strongest of the week until potentially Friday or Saturday. Flow aloft relaxes on Wednesday, but continued breeziness is possible and models are at odds with another backdoor front Thursday. CHJ/34 && .FIRE WEATHER... ...PROLONGED PERIOD OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY... A moderate west to east flow aloft will continue through Saturday, then lower some Sunday and Monday, before increasing again Tuesday. Winds will reach breezy to windy conditions today and Saturday, with strong gusts. Critical fire weather conditions today will be across all of the east, while western and central areas will be favored Saturday for critical fire weather conditions. That's because a back door cold front will move south through the east tonight, coming to rest along the east side of the central mountain chain. This will drop temperatures considerably in the east Saturday, with some increase in humidity, and less wind. It is a tricky forecast around the Hermits Peak Fire as west winds today will diminish early tonight, then shift to the north and northeast late tonight, but with speeds probably 10 mph or less. Winds will quickly shift to southwest Saturday morning and increase to windy conditions in the afternoon. Highs today will climb several more degrees than yesterday. As mentioned above, the east will be cooler Saturday but the west will warm up a couple more degrees. The flow aloft will lessen Sunday and Monday, but strengthen Tuesday ahead of a west coast upper level disturbance. It will pass to our north but stronger winds will probably lead to widespread critical fire weather conditions. The only precipitation in the forecast is Tuesday across the East Central Plains, as moisture seeps into this area early next week. A storm could bring showers and thunderstorms to the east next Friday. CHJ && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Fire Weather Watch from Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening for the following zones... NMZ101>103-105>107-109. Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ103-104-107-108. Wind Advisory until 4 PM MDT this afternoon for the following zones... NMZ215-222-223-228-229-231>234. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An ASOS station near Clines Corners measured a brief wind gust of 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2022
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: 1008300.