A deep fetch of subtropical moisture streaming over New Mexico allowed scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall to impact parts of the region. A couple thunderstorms along the Continental Divide became strong with gusty outflow winds, frequent lightning strikes, and hail.
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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.
A deep fetch of subtropical moisture streaming over New Mexico allowed scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall to impact parts of the region. A couple thunderstorms along the Continental Divide became strong with gusty outflow winds, frequent lightning strikes, and hail. One of the stronger storms produced a brief landspout tornado near Lake Valley, NM in San Juan County. No damage or injuries occurred with this brief storm.
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 Sep 22, 10:46 AM MST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1146 AM MDT Thu Sep 22 2022 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 118 AM MDT Thu Sep 22 2022 Rich monsoon moisture stays in the area for one more day, leading to scattered to numerous thunderstorms. Of course, the risk for locally heavy rainfall and flash flooding remains, especially in the Four Corners area. Quick northeasterly storm motions may help to limit the flash flooding threat. Drier conditions Friday and into this weekend will lead to a downtrend in storm coverage. Meanwhile, a cold front Saturday night and into Sunday will offer cooler temperatures to those across eastern and central New Mexico. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Friday) Issued at 118 AM MDT Thu Sep 22 2022 Showers and storms were slowly decreasing early this morning while the anticipated front has arrived at KABQ, with little impact so far as brief easterly gusts to around 20-25 mph were observed. Over portions of the eastern plains, areas of low clouds had developed and are possible through early this morning. Patchy fog has been added to the weather grids over parts of the north and west early this morning. The focus for showers and storms today and tonight will be the northwest third of the forecast area. Although there will be the possibility for heavy rain over this area, cells will be moving to the northeast and east around 25-30 mph. They may track repeatedly over the same areas though, consequently increasing the flood potential, therefore the Flood Watch remains in effect. Friday will see drier and more stable westerly winds dip down into far northern New Mexico, greatly decreasing chances for rain there, while the remaining plume of moisture is suppressed and stretches from west central New Mexico eastward over the Northeast and East Central Plains. Temperatures will generally be near to above normal although highs over the northwest will be about 5-10 degrees below normal today. && .LONG TERM... (Friday night through Wednesday) Issued at 118 AM MDT Thu Sep 22 2022 A relatively quiet weekend is still in store as a ridge builds over the western CONUS, cutting off the southerly moisture tap. PWATs fall to around 0.50" areawide as drier air settles in, however, there are no westerlies to completely scour out our moisture. Therefore, while storm coverage will be a lot less this weekend, isolated thunderstorms will still be possible over the high terrain areas. Otherwise, a backdoor cold front is still expected to arrive Saturday night and into Sunday morning. Mostly dry conditions are still expected behind it, except across the central mountain chain where favorable upslope flow may help develop isolated storms. But it will offer cooler temperatures across eastern and central NM. Lower confidence is in place in the overall weather pattern next week with some new model changes. An upper-level low on the northern periphery of the H5 high develops over OR. What impact it has on NM is uncertain as some guidance (namely the GFS) has this low strengthening and suppressing the high as it tracks into northern NM Monday into Tuesday. The ECMWF and to an extent the Canadian maintain the H5 high's strength which forces that low to eject into the northern Great Plains. This feature will be one to watch as it will have a large impact on PoPs next week. If the H5 high stays put, drier conditions will wrap up September, but perhaps monsoon season isn't done yet. Stay tuned. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1141 AM MDT Thu Sep 22 2022 VFR conditions are expected to prevail across most of New Mexico, but periodic reductions in ceilings and visibilities in northwestern to north central areas of the state will lead to brief MVFR conditions through the evening as showers and thunderstorms pass through. In addition to brief heavy downpours, the stronger thunderstorms will lead to small hail, gusty downburst winds and lightning. Storms could last through the evening, slowly diminishing into the early morning hours Friday. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 118 AM MDT Thu Sep 22 2022 Wetting showers and storms will be most plentiful over the northeast third of New Mexico today and tonight, where potential for locally heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding. Cell motions today and tonight will be to the northeast and east around 25-30 mph. On Friday, drier and more stable air will push into far northern New Mexico, concentrating showers and storms in a broad swath from the west central eastward to the Northeast and East Central Plains. More drying is expected Saturday into Sunday, courtesy of a cold front. Any storms are expected to be limited to the west central/southwest high terrain Saturday and along the central mountain chain Sunday. Return flow combined with a weak disturbance may result in increased moisture and therefore an uptick in showers and storms next Monday. High temperatures through early next week won't stray too far from normal for most areas, with the exception of northwest New Mexico where highs will be 5-10 degrees below normal today. Lows will remain warmer than average. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 74 51 78 48 / 80 20 0 0 Dulce........................... 70 46 75 39 / 80 50 0 0 Cuba............................ 72 49 73 47 / 70 60 10 5 Gallup.......................... 76 47 77 46 / 60 40 10 10 El Morro........................ 74 48 74 47 / 60 50 40 20 Grants.......................... 77 48 77 44 / 60 50 40 20 Quemado......................... 77 51 76 48 / 50 40 50 30 Magdalena....................... 79 56 78 54 / 30 30 50 30 Datil........................... 76 50 75 48 / 40 30 50 30 Reserve......................... 82 53 82 49 / 40 20 50 20 Glenwood........................ 84 60 85 58 / 30 20 30 20 Chama........................... 66 43 70 38 / 90 50 5 0 Los Alamos...................... 75 52 74 51 / 60 70 20 5 Pecos........................... 76 52 77 50 / 30 50 20 5 Cerro/Questa.................... 72 42 72 37 / 60 60 5 0 Red River....................... 68 40 68 37 / 60 60 5 0 Angel Fire...................... 69 37 69 33 / 60 60 10 0 Taos............................ 75 48 76 40 / 60 60 5 0 Mora............................ 74 48 76 46 / 30 40 10 5 Espanola........................ 81 47 81 49 / 60 60 10 0 Santa Fe........................ 76 53 76 52 / 40 50 20 5 Santa Fe Airport................ 79 52 79 49 / 40 50 20 5 Albuquerque Foothills........... 82 59 81 59 / 30 50 20 20 Albuquerque Heights............. 84 61 82 59 / 30 40 20 20 Albuquerque Valley.............. 85 55 84 57 / 30 40 20 20 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 84 60 82 58 / 40 50 20 20 Belen........................... 87 61 85 57 / 20 30 30 20 Bernalillo...................... 84 57 84 55 / 40 50 20 10 Bosque Farms.................... 86 58 84 54 / 20 40 20 20 Corrales........................ 85 59 84 57 / 40 50 20 10 Los Lunas....................... 86 59 84 55 / 20 40 20 20 Placitas........................ 81 56 81 55 / 30 50 20 10 Rio Rancho...................... 83 59 82 57 / 40 50 20 10 Socorro......................... 88 62 87 60 / 10 20 30 20 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 77 54 75 53 / 30 50 20 20 Tijeras......................... 80 56 79 54 / 30 40 20 20 Edgewood........................ 79 53 79 51 / 20 40 20 10 Moriarty/Estancia............... 81 51 81 47 / 20 30 20 10 Clines Corners.................. 77 52 77 50 / 20 30 10 10 Mountainair..................... 79 54 79 53 / 10 20 20 20 Gran Quivira.................... 81 55 80 54 / 10 20 20 10 Carrizozo....................... 84 59 84 59 / 10 5 5 5 Ruidoso......................... 75 53 76 52 / 10 5 0 0 Capulin......................... 74 51 78 48 / 30 50 10 5 Raton........................... 78 50 83 46 / 40 50 5 0 Springer........................ 77 51 82 46 / 20 40 10 0 Las Vegas....................... 76 52 80 48 / 20 30 10 5 Clayton......................... 79 59 87 56 / 10 20 10 10 Roy............................. 79 56 83 51 / 10 20 10 10 Conchas......................... 83 60 88 58 / 5 10 5 10 Santa Rosa...................... 85 60 88 58 / 5 10 5 10 Tucumcari....................... 88 65 92 62 / 0 0 5 10 Clovis.......................... 86 60 89 60 / 0 0 0 5 Portales........................ 88 61 91 61 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Sumner..................... 88 60 91 62 / 0 0 5 5 Roswell......................... 92 62 94 62 / 0 0 0 0 Picacho......................... 84 57 87 59 / 5 0 0 0 Elk............................. 80 54 83 56 / 10 0 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch through this evening for NMZ201>206. Flood Watch through this evening for NMZ210-211. && SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM....15 AVIATION...52
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 172 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:03 UTC.
1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A landspout tornado formed briefly about 10 miles north of Lake Valley, NM near State Road 371. No injuries or damage occurred with this storm.
An unnamed road flooded approximately one-half mile east of Torreon Wash and one-mile west of Tinnian Road.
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 historyThe tornado archive for New Mexico, 2022Warnings in New Mexico, September 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: 1047728, 1047868.