As yet another storm system began to track southward along the west coast of the United States on May 10, 2022, southwesterly flow strengthened across much of New Mexico. With the jet oriented southwest to northeast across southern California and Nevada, this spared New Mexico the strongest winds.
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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.
As yet another storm system began to track southward along the west coast of the United States on May 10, 2022, southwesterly flow strengthened across much of New Mexico. With the jet oriented southwest to northeast across southern California and Nevada, this spared New Mexico the strongest winds. Still, with the help of a lee-side surface low over northeastern New Mexico, strong and gusty winds were still common across all of northern and central New Mexico. Most of these gusts were below 50 mph, but Raton did measure a brief wind gust of 64 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 May 10, 10:36 AM MST, 2 hours 44 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1136 AM MDT Tue May 10 2022 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE Gusty winds have developed over the area, especially in western NM and this will expand to all other TAF sites within the next hour or two. Peak gusts may briefly hit AWW criteria at KABQ, but given the lower probability of persistent 35+ knots, will simply monitor the risk during the afternoon. A smoke plume is currently traversing the KLVS site, but expect this plume to shift from a SW-NE trajectory to more of a S/SW-N/NE direction fairly soon. As a result, expect the cig (and vis) restrictions to relax. Given the visibility sensor is not reporting, will place AMD NOT SKED in TAF. Isolated storms will be possible from 22Z-02Z south of KTCC and east of KROW, but direct impacts at these sites will be low. Gusty outflows will be possible across Curry and Roosevelt counties. LLWS is possible from 03Z-11Z for KLVS, KTCC and KROW, but hi-res models are a tick below the 30- kt criteria. Opted to forgo mention in TAFs; however, this will be something to monitor as newer models runs become available. DPorter && .PREV DISCUSSION...952 AM MDT Tue May 10 2022... .UPDATE... Have decided to expand the Red Flag Warning into the NMZ101 or the northwest plateau region due to the potential for one to three hours of critical fire weather conditions. While this could be technically below the RFW temporal criteria, it seems prudent to err on the side of caution given the persistent pattern and unseasonably dry fuels. The remainder of the forecast package remains on track. Updated RFW and FWF have been issued. DPorter && .FIRE WEATHER UPDATE... Added the Middle Rio Grande Valley, North Central Mountains, and West Central Plateau to today's Red Flag Warning. Coverage of critical conditions is borderline in each of these zones, but ongoing fires justify greater caution across west central and north central areas. Super Haines is also expected in the Middle Rio Grande Valley's urban corridor late this afternoon and early evening. In addition, locally critical conditions are expected across the Northwest Plateau today. 44 && .PREV DISCUSSION...344 AM MDT Tue May 10 2022... .SYNOPSIS... What a tough weekend for New Mexico with all the high winds, exceptionally dry air, very warm temperatures and an unstable atmosphere led to further growth/spread of the continuing large fires. There will be some changes though as we go through the week. Low level moisture will arrive in southeast NM today and spread north and west. An isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible in the far southeast this afternoon or evening. More widespread showers and thunderstorms will form across the east Wednesday, with storms near the TX border possibly turning severe. Today and Thursday will be breezy to windy, but nothing like recent days. Wind advisories have been issued to today in the northeast and at Gallup. It's a tough call as to whether the higher dewpoints reach the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and the cook's Peak Fire Wednesday. A ridge of high pressure will build in Friday through the weekend with dry and very warm conditions, and not much wind! && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... Winds will weaken some today as a low pressure system sagging gradually southward along the west coast shifts the polar jetstream mainly north of the Four Corners. However, ample atmospheric mixing in well above normal temperatures (including some near record highs), and a ~989 mb surface low over SE CO, will enable breezy to windy southwest flow to redevelop. The strongest winds should gust up to 50 mph from around Las Vegas to Raton Pass and eastward to Clayton late this afternoon, where we will issue a Wind Advisory with the morning forecast package. The day shift will need to monitor Gallup and Roy for potential expansion of the Wind Advisory to those areas with the mid day NPW update. In addition to the wind, another round of single digit humidities will necessitate another afternoon in the ongoing string of Red Flag Warnings. Winds are forecast to strengthen further areawide on Wednesday as the upper low on the west coast begins to eject northeastward across the Great Basin strengthening the flow aloft over NM. The potential exists for gusts to 50 mph across much of northern and western NM Wednesday afternoon, when another round of near record warmth and fire weather concerns are expected. The upper low on the west coast and a ridge of high pressure over the center of the country will work in consort to draw a moist return flow of low level moisture northward late Tuesday through Wednesday morning. There may be a few thunderstorms as early as late Tuesday afternoon in eastern Roosevelt and Curry Counties, but the better chance for showers and thunderstorms will come Wednesday east of a line from Ruidoso to Capulin when the dryline will become active and begin to march eastward. Dry thunderstorms are expected over the western high plains with a chance for severe thunderstorms closer to NM's eastern border. LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)... Showers and thunderstorms, possibly severe, will depart far eastern NM Wednesday evening. It will dry out Thursday with breezy to windy conditions in the east, creating more critical fire weather concerns. But Friday through early next week will come under the influence of a ridge of high pressure slowly moving in from the west. Dry and very warm weather is expected during this time with not a lot of wind for a change! High temperatures will be mostly above normal. && .FIRE WEATHER... ...THREE MORE DAYS OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED, THEN A BREAK WITH LIGHTER WINDS FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND... Winds will weaken some today, while remaining breezy to windy, as an upper level low pressure system sags southward along the west coast shifting the jet stream mostly to the north of the Four Corners. Nonetheless a stout surface low over southeast CO and ample atmospheric mixing in near record high temperatures will result in gusts to 50 mph from around Las Vegas to Raton and eastward to Clayton. Will continue the Red Flag Warning along and east of the central mountain chain today, and add the Northwest Highlands where there will be good coverage of critical conditions along and west of the continental divide and there is also at least one ongoing wildfire. Decided to upgrade Wednesday's Fire Weather Watch to a Red Flag Warning, since winds will strengthen that day as the west coast low pressure system begins to eject inland across the Great Basin. Another round of well above normal and near record warmth is also expected with Haines of mostly 6. There will be a dry lightning risk on Wednesday as a moist low level return flow makes it way almost as far west as a Ruidoso to Capulin line. Gusty and dry thunderstorms are expected over the central high plains, with wetter activity and even some severe storms possible in counties closer to the eastern NM border. One more day of critical fire weather conditions is expected mainly along and east of the central mountain chain on Thursday as the upper low ejects northeastward across the Rockies keeping brisk flow aloft over eastern NM, with an accompanying lee side surface trough. Winds will be much weaker on Thursday though with gusts probably peaking near 40 mph across the east. A ridge of high pressure will cross from the west Friday through this weekend with much lighter winds, although still gusty in the afternoons. Humidities will still be bone dry, and high temperatures will remain well above normal. Highs may push records again starting Monday. && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ101>109. Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 9 PM MDT Wednesday for the following zones... NMZ101>103-105>107-109. Fire Weather Watch from Thursday morning through Thursday evening for the following zones... NMZ103-104-107-108. Wind Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening for the following zones... NMZ227>230. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An ASOS station near Raton measured a peak wind gust of 64 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, May 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: 1013336.