With an area of high pressure still present over New Mexico on June 12, 2022, conditions at the surface still remained too dry for beneficial precipitation. Nontheless, mid-level moisture allowed for the development of high-based, dry thunderstorm activity across portions of central and eastern New Mexico during the afternoon and evening hours.
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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.
With an area of high pressure still present over New Mexico on June 12, 2022, conditions at the surface still remained too dry for beneficial precipitation. Nontheless, mid-level moisture allowed for the development of high-based, dry thunderstorm activity across portions of central and eastern New Mexico during the afternoon and evening hours. This dry activity was prone to producing more gusty and erratic downburst winds, and several stations across Quay and De Baca counties measured wind gusts in excess of 60 mph.
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 Jun 12, 5:00 PM MST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 600 PM MDT Sun Jun 12 2022 .AVIATION... 00Z TAF CYCLE Stream of moisture extending from sw to ne NM on the wrn edge of an upper level high pressure area located over sw/central TX. Mostly isolated showers and tstms will continue through early evening, but should be gone by 02Z. Little or no rain but sudden and erratic winds from virga/dry storms will be the main concern. Brief BLDU possible with vsby of 6SM. Mt top swly winds to strengthen over nrn and wrn NM through the night. Stronger winds at the surface are forecast for Monday with dry and hot conditions and potential density altitude problems. && .PREV DISCUSSION...256 PM MDT Sun Jun 12 2022... .SYNOPSIS... Very hot and dry conditions will continue into early this week with dry thunderstorms favoring the high terrain areas. Winds will trend stronger on Monday as a storm system passes to our north, and this will lead to widespread critical fire weather conditions. Breezy to windy conditions persist on Tuesday before relaxing on Wednesday. Another change in the weather pattern then looks promising for the end of the week as a monsoonal moisture plume works its way into Arizona and western New Mexico. This will lead to increasing thunderstorm chances for the western half of the state Thursday and into the weekend. Of course, this also elevates the risk for burn scar flash flooding. && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT)... This afternoon isn't as active compared to this time yesterday despite the stream of moisture stretched across the state from southwest to the north central and northeast. Drier air was also observed on satellite imagery invading areas west of the Continental Divide. Suspect the activity that does exist will continue to be dry with gusty erratic winds which could produce some brief localized blowing dust then diminish as the evening progresses. Monday will be hot again over eastern NM with potential for another day of near record highs. That said, highs won't be quite as hot area wide, but still will be hot enough to issue another Heat Advisory for portions of the east central and southeast for Monday afternoon/early evening. Southwest winds will strengthen areawide on Monday and some areas over northwest, west central, north central and northeast NM may see winds strong enough for wind advisories but will defer to later shifts. There's also potential for another round of mostly dry convection Monday afternoon stretched from the Continental Divide to the Pecos Valley, then moving into the south central and southeast Monday evening. Overnight lows will continue to be about 5-15 degrees warmer than normal. LONG TERM...(TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)... By Tuesday, the low that had been tracking across the central Rockies begins to lift northeastward onto the Plains, and the strongest winds within the jet rounding its base will become focused to our northeast. With a ~990mb surface low across SE CO, 700mb winds of 25-30 knots, and deep mixing in place, the breezy to windy conditions will continue for one more day on Tuesday with the strongest wind speeds focused across the northeast in closer proximity to the surface low and the jet core. Very dry conditions will also stay in place, and this will lead to another round of critical fire weather conditions across the east. Winds aloft relax on Wednesday, but while winds lessen, very dry conditions continue. During this time, the H5 high centers itself over the SE US, but once the westerlies relax, it will begin to gradually make its way back towards the west. Sub-tropical moisture begins to make its way northward into Old Mexico Wednesday, and by Thursday, the H5 high over OK steers the moisture plume over AZ. This looks like the start of the monsoon season for AZ and perhaps western NM Thursday, Friday, and next weekend. The other feature to watch late this week will be another PacNW storm system that approaches the west coast. Models have been at odds with how strong this storm system will be and how far southward it will dig. This time yesterday, the GFS was the outlier amongst the deterministic guidance in showing an unseasonably strong low that managed to steer the moisture plume eastward into much of NM. While the deterministic ECMWF and CMC were not enthused with this, the trend today is perhaps interesting. While neither of the newest runs are nearly as strong or wet as the GFS is, they are depicting increasing PWATs for central and eastern NM this weekend with a storm system that is trending stronger. While it is still easy to discount the GFS given its still an outlier and it usually has this wet bias, many ensemble guidance members are even depicting a stronger closed low that could manage to steer the moisture plume eastward over NM. While confidence is still highest that western NM will see increasing thunderstorm chances starting late this week, how far eastward the moisture plume can get will still be something to watch closely. 15 && .FIRE WEATHER... ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO... ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT MONDAY FOR ALL OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NM... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL NM TUESDAY... Hot, dry and unstable conditions will persist into mid week with isolated dry convection with gusty erratic winds possible mainly from the Continental Divide eastward into Monday, then focused over mainly east central NM Monday evening and Tuesday. Cell motion this afternoon through Monday will be to the northeast and east. Southwest winds will be strongest areawide Monday, then remain strong over the east Tuesday as very dry conditions persist. Winds will diminish thereafter as high pressure aloft builds back over NM by Thursday, allowing moisture to move into the region and bringing greater potential for wetting storms. Temperatures will cool a little but remain above normal through the week. Forecast models indicate the best plume of moisture will be focused over AZ and western NM late this week but could shift back directly over NM early next week, increasing potential for burn scar flooding. && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 PM MDT Monday for the following zones... NMZ101>109. Heat Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ220-230>240. Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ103-104-108. Fire Weather Watch from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening for the following zones... NMZ103-104-108. Heat Advisory from 1 PM to 8 PM MDT Monday for the following zones... NMZ234-237-238. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A member of the public in Fort Sumner measured a 64 mph wind gust associated with a dry microburst. One inch diameter tree branches were downed with no other damage reported. Damages are estimated for the tree.
The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility measured a 66 mph wind gust associated with a dry microburst. No damage was reported.
An ASOS station near Tucumcari measured a 61 mph wind gust associated with strong downburst winds from nearby shower activity.
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, June 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: 1021055, 1021056, 1021057.