After an active end to January 2022, the weather pattern remained active for New Mexico throughout the month of February. However, despite multiple storm systems, the active pattern was once again characterized more by high winds and Arctic airmasses rather than precipitation.
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.
After an active end to January 2022, the weather pattern remained active for New Mexico throughout the month of February. However, despite multiple storm systems, the active pattern was once again characterized more by high winds and Arctic airmasses rather than precipitation. Despite northern and western mountains receiving snow totals over one to two feet throughout the month, poor snow water equivalent values continued which only aided in worsening drought conditions. Exceptional drought conditions, which had returned in January, spread into Chaves County during February. Drought conditions across the state worsened with about 80 percent in at least severe drought conditions. About 32 percent of that was categorized as extreme or exceptional drought with about 3 percent in exceptional drought. Precipitation totals across much of northern and central New Mexico generally ranged from one quarter to one half inch. High terrain areas across north central and western New Mexico fared better with precipitation totals closer to one inch.
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 Jan 31, 10:41 PM MST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1041 PM MST Mon Jan 31 2022 .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE VFR conditions will prevail through much of Tuesday. High clouds will continue to increase from the west overnight, gradually lowering through the day Tuesday. A backdoor cold front will drop southward through eastern NM tonight into late Tuesday morning, causing winds to shift to a northerly direction. Clouds will continue to slowly lower to between bkn- ovc120-150 most areas by midday Tuesday. Additionally, areas of light snow are likely over the northern mountains and near the CO border late Tuesday afternoon as a cold upper level trough to the west combines with the backdoor cold front. Conditions will continue to deteriorate after sunset as areas of light to moderate snow expand. 33 && .PREV DISCUSSION...332 PM MST Mon Jan 31 2022... .SYNOPSIS... The strongest winter storm so far this season is forecast to bring bitterly cold temperatures and widespread snow accumulation to northern and central New Mexico Tuesday night through Thursday. The potential exists for heavy snow accumulation from Dulce to Capulin and southward to around Albuquerque, Ruidoso, and Dunken. A few to several inches of snow accumulation are expected elsewhere. East canyon wind gusts up to 50 mph are expected in the central valley from Santa Fe southward Wednesday afternoon through at least Wednesday night, and this will probably result in an area of only a few inches of snow accumulation below Tijeras Canyon in Albuquerque. Low temperatures mostly in the single digits above and below zero are expected Wednesday night through Friday night. Many locations will fall below freezing Tuesday night or Wednesday night, then remain below freezing until Saturday afternoon. Temperatures will then trend only gradually warmer with below normal readings lingering into early next week. && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT)... A split flow pattern is currently over the ConUS, but as yesterday’s upper low exits eastward into TX, the flow aloft will continue to turn more westerly over NM through the evening. Both the polar and subtropical jet cores will also eventually be merging as the next cold core wave approaches. Breezy conditions over the central highlands and east central plains today will try to briefly subside this evening. However, as the surface low in northeastern NM sags southeastward this evening a cold front will fill in behind, allowing winds to turn northerly and gusty in the plains near the OK and TX borders. The backdoor segment of the front will continue advancing through the plains into Tuesday. Temperatures across all zones will generally be lower on Tuesday, however the northeastern to east central plains will be the only ones that actually drop below normal. This backdoor front will merely be an appetizer for the main course of Arctic air coming on Wednesday. Things will be set into motion in the upper levels too on Tuesday with the flow turning southwesterly and more perturbed over NM while another vort lobe dives southeastward out of British Columbia. This will slowly spread increasing large scale lift into NM with top-down moistening and orographics on southwestern slopes. The far northern NM peaks would be the first beneficiaries of any snow late Tuesday afternoon, but into Tuesday night snow should expand toward some central zones and increase in intensity. Will hoist a Winter Storm Watch (beginning Tuesday evening) for many north central to central zones to account for this (with a subsequent expansion southward later on Wednesday). There is some uncertainty as to whether or not the east wind will be able to sneak into the middle Rio Grande valley before dawn Wednesday, but for now have built late Wednesday night and early Thursday’s wind forecast without an easterly intrusion. 52 LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... With this forecast package will issue a Winter Storm Watch from Dulce to Capulin and southward to Cuba, Santa Fe, Sandia Park, Moriarty, Clines Corners, and Santa Rosa valid Tuesday evening through Thursday, and also for Albuquerque, Gran Quivira, Ruidoso, Picacho and Elk Wednesday evening through Thursday. These locations can generally expect a few inches to near a foot of snow, except for close to 2 feet on the high peaks of the northern mountains. Elsewhere snow amounts will vary from a few to 6 inches, except for locally higher amounts on higher peaks of the west central and southwest mountains. Many of these zones will probably need Winter Weather Advisories, but we will let the night shift tonight and day shift on Tuesday issue those. The upper level trough is forecast by some models to form a closed upper level low pressure system over eastern AZ Wednesday night while the Arctic front pushes into the middle Rio Grande Valley with east wind gusts to 50 mph below canyons from Santa Fe southward. The upper low is then forecast to track slowly eastward across the state Thursday through Friday. Drier air is forecast to filter over the state from the north and northwest late Thursday through Friday, so most of the accumulating snow will probably end by mid day Thursday. With the cold core crossing eastern areas on Friday, and a few to several inches of snow on the ground, it now looks unlikely that temperatures will reach freezing along and east of the central mountain chain Friday afternoon. This means many locations of the east that fall below freezing on Tuesday night will not rise above freezing again until Saturday afternoon. Many central, western, and southeastern locations will remain below freezing Wednesday night through Saturday afternoon. Low temperatures should bottom out Thursday night with mostly single digits above and below zero and wind chill readings even colder. After high temperatures bottom out around 15-40 degrees below normal on Thursday, readings will rebound only slowly, remaining below normal through Monday. Another upper level trough is forecast to track southeastward across the state with a gusty backdoor cold front Saturday night through Sunday night with the potential for light snow in some areas, but models vary greatly on the track of the system and whether it will form a closed upper level low pressure system. 44 && .FIRE WEATHER... Breezy to locally windy conditions are ongoing over the central highlands and east central plains of NM this afternoon. Above normal temperatures, low humidity, and cured fuels are also in place in this area, and the winds are likely occasionally strong enough for some elevated to critical fire weather conditions. These will abate toward sunset as prevailing winds decrease in speed. After today, no critical fire weather concerns are foreseen for the next several days, as the pattern will shift to a much more wintry one that will include the coldest air of the season and a healthy and fairly widespread dose of accumulating snowfall that will mitigate critical conditions and add some much needed fuel and soil moisture. That being said, there will still be periods of gusty winds that arrive as a one-two punch of backdoor cold fronts arrive from the northeast. The latter front will pack the most punch with Arctic air behind it, eventually leading to gusty conditions even in the central valleys late Wednesday into early Thursday. 52 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Watch from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday morning for the following zones... NMZ203-204-210>218-221>223-227>229-233. Winter Storm Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning for the following zones... NMZ219-224-226-239-240. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
41 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February. Portions of south central Chaves County worsened to exceptional drought conditions.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 worsened in February with extreme drought conditions across southern portions of the area.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 worsened in February with extreme drought conditions across all of the area.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions from January 2022 continued in February.
Severe drought conditions developed across the area in February 2022.
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, February 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: 1000568, 1000569, 1000570, 1000571, 1000572, 1000573, 1000574, 1000575, 1000576, 1000577, 1000578, 1000579, 1000580, 1000581, 1000582, 1000584, 1000585, 1000586, 1000587, 1000588, 1000589, 1000590, 1000591, 1000592, 1000593, 1000594, 1000595, 1000596, 1000597, 1000598, 1000599, 1000600, 1000602, 1000603, 1000604, 1000605, 1000606, 1000607, 1000608, 1000609, and more.