As a very strong low pressure system tracked into California on April 22, 2022, it steered an incredibly potent upper-level jet across New Mexico. Winds at 250mb within this jet reached 90 to 100 knots while at 700mb, these westerly winds strengthened to 50 to 60 knots.
Every event with a place to put it; 51 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.
As a very strong low pressure system tracked into California on April 22, 2022, it steered an incredibly potent upper-level jet across New Mexico. Winds at 250mb within this jet reached 90 to 100 knots while at 700mb, these westerly winds strengthened to 50 to 60 knots. Meanwhile, deep atmospheric mixing along with a deepening surface low over northern Colorado only helped to enhance surface wind speeds. This set the stage for a widespread damaging wind event across all of northern and central New Mexico. 60 to 70 mph winds were common for several hours across all of northern and central New Mexico with higher gusts of 80 to 95 mph measured across the northern high terrain and northeast highlands. These strong winds created extensive areas of blowing dust, especially across western and central New Mexico. Numerous sites, such as Farmington, Gallup, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, reported reduced visibility to less than one quarter mile at times. This caused poor travel conditions, and major highways like Interstate 25 near Santa Fe were forced to close due to several traffic accidents. With exceptionally dry conditions persisting, this set the stage for a catastrophic fire weather day with with at least twenty new fire starts. The ongoing Cooks Peak, Hermits Peak, and Calf Canyon wildfires experienced exceptional growth underneath these high winds and exploded in size within hours. The Calf Canyon Fire threatened numerous communities across Mora and San Miguel counties, prompting numerous evacuations for many residents.
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 22, 4:20 AM MST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 520 AM MDT Fri Apr 22 2022 .AVIATION... 12Z TAF CYCLE IR satellite is depicting the sely surge of Gulf Moisture working its way into eastern NM, reaching KTCC-KCVN-KROW. A tempo for sct015 is at KROW-KTCC, and may need an amd to adjust during the early morning hours near sunrise. Otherwise, continued high confidence remains for very strong W/SW winds with widespread gusts of 45-60kts Friday. Mentions of bldu has been expanded to other terminals. Any MVFR vis reductions will need necessary amds with subsequent TAF issuances. The Pacific fropa looks to bring a temporary spike in swly/wly wind speeds b/w 00Z-06Z from west to east across the forecast area. Winds will begin tapering off after this event this evening. 24 && .PREV DISCUSSION...251 AM MDT Fri Apr 22 2022... .SYNOPSIS... A dire situation will take shape today as very strong to damaging winds will develop across much of northern and central New Mexico. While windy conditions are common this time of year, today will be different with widespread gusts of 60 to 70 mph, and several locations are expected to observe even higher gusts near 80 mph. In addition to these severe winds, very dry air and low humidity will be present, leading to extreme fire weather. This will mean that any ongoing wildfires or new fire starts will grow rapidly and likely out of control with catastrophic results possible. Everyone is urged to be extremely cautious. Avoid outdoor burning, avoid the use of outdoor power equipment that may produce a spark, avoid parking your vehicle in tall grass, and ensure that trailer chains are properly stowed. These are just a few precautions that can help reduce new wildfire starts in this very dangerous weather situation. Temperatures will remain above normal today, but will be cooling quickly by this evening and into Saturday as a front sweeps across New Mexico. On Saturday, the winds will not be nearly as strong as what is expected today, but gusty conditions will still be widespread with the strongest speeds expected over the central mountains, highlands and nearby high plains of east central New Mexico. Temperatures will remain cooler than normal into Sunday and Monday before climbing into the middle of next week. A welcome decrease in wind speeds will also arrive for the first half of next week. && ...A DIRE WEATHER SITUATION EXPECTED TODAY AS VERY STRONG TO DAMAGING WINDS DEVELOP ALONG WITH EXCEPTIONALLY LOW HUMIDITY THAT WILL CREATE EXTREME FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS... .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY)... The stage is set for an incredibly strong wind event across New Mexico today. A deep upper level trough is crossing CA early this morning with satellite derived 250mb winds reaching 90-100kts over UT. This jet max shifts eastward over the state this afternoon, with model guidance continuing to show a 50-60kt H7 speedmax overhead. Deep layer mixing to the H6 level, combined with a rapidly deepening sfc low of 980mb MSLP over northern CO will translate and enhance these winds to the surface across the entire forecast area beginning mid-morning and peaking in strength during the afternoon. Peak gusts of 50-60mph are possible areawide, with 70-80mph possible along the highlands adjacent to the central mountain chain. Forecast confidence is near as high as it can be with this set up and High Wind Warnings are looking good to go. The one crux is the how strong winds get with the Pacific fropa late in the day and after 00Z, with the latest model runs showing high wind speeds of 40-45mph sustained possible where there are wind advisories over the southeastern plains. Since these wind speeds look to be short-lived and associated with the fropa, will forego an upgrade to high wind for these zones at this time. However, cannot rule out the high wind potential here and perhaps an upgrade will be needed the closer we get to this event. Widespread blowing dust and strong crosswinds on all area highways will create particular dangerous travel conditions today. This will be especially true for high profile vehicles. Power outages will also be possible from downed tree limbs or other high wind related damage. High temperatures will be 10F-20F above normal, especially though central and eastern NM where downslope compressional warming will bring highs into the 80s to 90s. Meanwhile, a surge in low-level Gulf moisture has entered southeastern NM where dewpoints have skyrocketed into the 50s at Clovis and low 60s at Hobbs. This moisture will continue to advance northward into much of eastern NM through this morning. However, the dry slot and high winds ahead of the Pacific trough will scour out this moisture and advance the dryline back east into TX. Hi-res CAMs are showing a few thunderstorm cells developing along the dryline this afternoon with severe potential given high CAPE and shear. However, these solutions are keeping CI east of the TX line. Nevertheless, there is still a slight chance mention of thunderstorms right along the TX border and cannot rule out a few storms initiating in the area between Portales and Nara Visa. Any storm that does, will quickly eject northeastward into TX. Elsewhere, light mix of valley rain and high elevation snow will reach the far northern mountains today through Friday night. Light snow accumulations of a dust to an inch look to result atop the peaks of the Tusas mountains. Winds taper off late evening after the Pacific fropa moves into TX and the atmosphere decouples behind. Westerly flow remains Saturday at the base of an upper level troughing pattern. Breezy to locally windy conditions remain with much colder temperatures. Highs will be 10F-20F lower than Friday's readings. LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY)... The strong westerly winds will reduce in speed Saturday evening and will veer northerly through the overnight as surface high pressure settles over the central and southern Rockies. In the upper levels, west southwest flow will persist into Sunday morning with a shortwave trough dropping into southwest CO later in the day. An inverted surface trough will try to stand up close to the central mountain chain Sunday, and this will cause winds to shift in opposing directions across the state, but the welcome news will be the tempered speeds with generally just moderate breezes expected. Temperatures will start to nudge upward a few degrees in western zones where the wind direction will be backing, but could still drop a couple degrees in eastern zones where veering will occur. Precipitation would largely remain confined to CO through Sunday afternoon, but a stray shower or thunderstorm cannot be ruled out over the Sangre de Cristos and adjacent zones late in the day with a better chance into Sunday night. Given the cooler than average temperatures, a couple inches of snow will be possible over the peaks Sunday night. Precipitation would slowly diminish over this area into Monday as the shortwave trough exits into the plains. Surface high pressure will be reinforced over eastern NM as this wave aloft exits, and temperatures in the plains will take another setback of a few degrees while the western zones gain. A ridge aloft swells over the Rockies Monday night, moving into the Great Plains Tuesday. Surface winds will veer, gaining a southerly component in many locations. There have been hints with past model runs that modified moisture would be advected northward in this flow Tuesday and possibly into Wednesday. For now, POPs have been limited to 10 percent on Tuesday and Wednesday over central to eastern zones, as it will be difficult to bring appreciable low to mid level moisture in for measurable precipitation. Unfortunately, the threat for virga and consequently gusty and erratic winds might be a more likely occurrence. The prevailing winds will also begin increasing during this mid week time frame with gusts of 25 to 35 mph becoming more commonplace. Unfortunately, winds look to increase more each day through the end of the week as the next upstream low will move off of the Pacific across the Great Basin and into the northern Rockies. This will bring an increased gradient aloft with lee-side cyclogenesis at the surface. 24/52 && .FIRE WEATHER... ...DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING, FIRE WEATHER ABATING THIS WEEKEND... This morning's setup features an influx of low-level Gulf moisture surging into eastern NM raising dewpoints into the 40s-60s. This will allow for excellent recoveries there this morning, but this won't last long. Very strong southwest flow ramps up across the forecast area by mid-morning, with widespread gusts of 45-60mph across the forecast area. Higher wind gusts of 70-80mph will be possible across portions of the highlands and central mountains. This, combined with humidity falling to 5%-10%, well above normal temperatures, and high Haines, supports extreme fire weather conditions capable of producing rapid and erratic fire behavior. This will be particularly dangerous for any ongoing fires with nearby communities to their north and northeast. The Red Flag Warning for all areas remains on track and there are no changes with this forecast package. A Pacific front will bring a westerly wind shift, entering from AZ near 6pm and reaching the TX border by midnight. While wind speeds begin to retreat from their peaks during this time, this frontal passage will keep winds elevated through the evening hours. Winds finally taper off during the early morning hours Saturday, before picking back up again Saturday afternoon. While reaching critical thresholds, wind speeds will be nowhere near today's speeds by Saturday afternoon. Nevertheless, despite the down turn in wind and temperatures, conditions are still warranting a Fire Weather Watch at this time across the eastern plains. Sunday sees a break in winds finally, with a backdoor cold front entering northeastern NM replenishing moisture there somewhat. This surface front will meet a weak upper level disturbance Sunday night, producing light precipitation potential along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Thereafter, southerly return flow looks to bring an influx of Gulf moisture further west into the state allowing for fair to good recoveries areawide by Monday morning. Critical fire weather continues its break with this influx and reduction in wind speeds. The downside is with a weak upper ridge pattern moving in, the potential for dry thunderstorms increases. New fire starts will be possible ahead of an increase in southwesterly and westerly winds toward the end of next week. 24 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning from 9 AM this morning to 9 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ101>109. Wind Advisory from 9 AM this morning to midnight MDT tonight for the following zones... NMZ201-235>238. High Wind Warning from 9 AM this morning to midnight MDT tonight for the following zones... NMZ202>234-239>241. Fire Weather Watch from Saturday morning through Saturday evening for the following zones... NMZ103-104-107-108. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
46 high wind, 3 dust storm, 2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
An ASOS station near Raton measured a peak sustained wind speed of 56 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Raton to 1 to 2 statute miles from blowing dust and smoke.
A weather station near Capulin measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph.
An ASOS station near Raton measured a peak wind gust of 81 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Raton to 1 to 2 statute miles from blowing dust and smoke.
A White Sands Missile Range mesonet station southeast of Bosque del Apache measured a peak sustained wind speed of 52 mph.
An ASOS station near Las Vegas measured a peak sustained wind speed of 52 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Las Vegas to 3 to 4 statute miles from blowing dust and smoke.
An ASOS station near Gallup measured a peak wind gust of 70 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Gallup to 1 to 2 statute miles from blowing dust. A COOP observer near Gallup reported shingles lost on their home and numerous trees downed. Power was also out for different areas around Gallup. Damages are a rough estimate.
A trained spotter near Clayton measured 80 mph wind gusts. These winds downed the spotter's backyard fence. Several hours of high wind speeds also reduced visibility at Clayton to one half to three quarters statute miles from blowing dust and smoke. Damages are a rough estimate.
An ASOS station near Clayton measured a peak sustained wind speed of 52 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Clayton to one half to three quarters statute miles from blowing dust and smoke.
An ASOS station near Gallup measured a peak sustained wind speed of 48 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Gallup to 1 to 2 statute miles from blowing dust.
An ASOS station near Las Vegas measured a peak wind gust of 74 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Las Vegas to 3 to 4 statute miles from blowing dust and smoke.
A trained spotter near Cuba estimated peak wind gusts of 60 mph.
High winds across the Northwest Plateau resulted in a large area of dust that swept eastward through the area. Several observers reported that visibility was less than one quarter mile which impacted travel for several hours along U.S. Highways 64 and 550.
An AWOS station near Ruidoso measured a peak sustained wind speed of 51 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Ruidoso to 2 to 3 statute miles from blowing dust.
A weather station near Mosquero measured a peak sustained speed of 44 mph.
An ASOS station near Farmington measured a peak wind gust of 71 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Farmington to 1 to 2 statute miles from blowing dust.
A weather station near Sandia Park measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
A trained spotter near Maes estimated peak wind gusts of 70 mph.
A trained spotter near Arabela estimated peak wind gusts of 60 mph. Several hours of high winds blew their patio furniture away and also created poor visibility from blowing dust.
Several hours of high wind speeds across the West Central Plateau resulted in significant areas of blowing dust and very poor visibilities less than one quarter mile. This dust storm near Gallup forced the closure of U.S. Highway 491 for several hours during the afternoon hours.
An AWOS station near Ruidoso measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Ruidoso to 2 to 3 statute miles from blowing dust.
A White Sands Missile Range mesonet station southeast of Bosque del Apache measured a peak wind gust of 70 mph. Numerous reports of damage were received across Socorro County as a result of these high winds. Several large trees were downed in Socorro as well as on the New Mexico Tech campus. Power outages were also reported across Socorro County. Damages are a rough estimate.
A New Mexico Department of Transportation weather station at Interstate 40 and New Mexico State Road 6 measured a peak sustained wind speed of 48 mph.
An ASOS station near Farmington measured peak sustained wind speed of 52 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Farmington to 1 to 2 statute miles from blowing dust.
An AWOS station near Taos measured a peak sustained wind speed of 53 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Taos to one half to three quarters statute miles from blowing dust.
An AWOS station near Taos measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Taos to one half to three quarters statute miles from blowing dust.
An ASOS station near Roswell measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph.
An ASOS station near Clines Corners measured a peak wind gust of 70 mph.
An ASOS station near Clines Corners measured a peak sustained wind speed of 51 mph.
A weather station at Taos Ski Valley measured a peak wind gust of 93 mph.
A weather station near Estancia measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
A barn caught on fire just north of San Antonio on Olguin Road. With very high winds across the area, sparks from the barn fire were carried which started a brush fire. Fortunately, crews were able to contain the fire within about two hours, but the barn as well as one camper were lost. Damages are estimated.
An ASOS station near Santa Fe measured a peak wind gust of 70 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Santa Fe to one half statute mile from blowing dust.
An ASOS station near Albuquerque measured a peak wind gust of 64 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Albuquerque to one statute mile from blowing dust. Numerous reports of downed trees were received due to the high winds, and power was out for several hours of portions of the Albuquerque metro area. Damages are a rough estimate.
An ASOS station near Albuquerque measured a peak sustained wind speed of 45 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Albuquerque to one statute mile from blowing dust.
An ASOS station near Tucumcari measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
An ASOS station near Tucumcari measured a peak sustained wind speed of 45 mph.
A RAWS station southeast of El Morro measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Cerro Pelado Fire began during the afternoon hours of April 22nd approximately seven miles east of Jemez Springs. With very high winds in the area, this fire rapidly spread, and by the morning of April 23rd, it had grown to 4,688 acres. Evacuation orders were quickly given for Sierra de Los Pinos and other communities near the Cerro Pelado Fire. This fire even prompted the closure of New Mexico State Road 4 that leads to Los Alamos. Within a matter of days, this wildfire began to move into the burn scar of the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, the 2013 Thompson Ridge Fire, and the 2017 Cajete Fire. As a persistent windy pattern continued through the remainder of the month of April, this fire only rapidly spread. After the next very windy event on April 29th, the fire had spread to 15,650 acres with only 15 percent containment. By the end of the month on April 30th, the fire had burned 17,885 acres with containment now down to 10 percent. Three homes were destroyed by this fire, but no information has been given as to what day those homes were lost. Many other homes and structures remain threatened by this fire. Damages are estimated.
A weather station near Magdalena measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph.
An AWOS station near Los Alamos measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Los Alamos to 1 to 2 statute miles from blowing dust.
An AWOS station near Los Alamos measured a peak sustained wind speed of 47 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Los Alamos to 1 to 2 statute miles from blowing dust.
Several hours of high winds resulted in significant areas of blowing dust that tracked eastward across the area. Visibility was reduced to less than one quarter mile, and very poor visibility forced the closure of Interstate 25 north of Algodones at mile marker 248 to Waldo Canyon Road at mile marker 267. Multiple accidents were reported as well, but the extent of injuries is unknown. Damages are a rough estimate.
A New Mexico Department of Transportation weather station located at Interstate 40 and New Mexico State Road 6 measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
A White Sands Missile Range mesonet station south of Bingham measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
An AWOS station near Santa Rosa measured a peak sustained wind speed of 40 mph.
A White Sands Missile Range mesonet station west-southwest of Oscura measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
An ASOS station near Santa Fe measured a peak sustained wind speed of 45 mph. Several hours of high wind speeds reduced visibility at Santa Fe to one half statute mile from blowing dust.
A weather station near Glorieta measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
A RAWS station northwest of Espanola measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph. The emergency manager reported that the high winds downed a chicken house near Pojoaque Pueblo. Damages are a rough estimate.
A RAWS station near Old Horse Springs measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
An AWOS station near Angel Fire measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph. These high winds reduced visibility at Angel Fire to 3 to 4 statute miles from blowing dust and smoke. A member of the public near Mineral Hill reported that the high winds broke large tree limbs and tore shingles off their roof. Damages are a rough estimate.
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: 1009978, 1009976, 1009977, 1009968, 1009980, 1009946, 1009981, 1009982, 1009947, 1009979, 1009990, 1009994, 1009975, 1009983, 1009942, 1009989, 1009992, 1009993, 1009996, 1009974, 1009966, 1009950, 1009943, 1009959, 1009958, 1009987, 1009970, 1009971, 1009955, 1009969, 1010521, 1009962, 1009964, 1009965, 1009985, 1009986, 1009948, 1012113, 1009988, 1009952, and more.