Strong winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere remained over New Mexico December 3rd. A segment of these stronger winds were able to reach the surface in western Guadalupe County in the late morning to early afternoon.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Strong winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere remained over New Mexico December 3rd. A segment of these stronger winds were able to reach the surface in western Guadalupe County in the late morning to early afternoon. Two mesonet stations recorded peak gusts of 62 and 67 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 Dec 3, 4:26 AM MST, 5 hours 34 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 426 AM MST Sun Dec 3 2023 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 1250 AM MST Sun Dec 3 2023 Strong and gusty northwest winds will develop once again today, gradually weakening tonight into Monday morning. Several tranquil days remain in the forecast Tuesday through Thursday, ahead of a storm system most likely to impact portions of northern NM next weekend. High temperatures will remain above to well above average readings for early December. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Monday) Issued at 1250 AM MST Sun Dec 3 2023 Strong northwest flow aloft will continue over the region today and winds throughout the column are still on the uptrend as the jet stream dives southeast from the Pacific NW into the central/southern Rockies. A High Wind Warning continues for the Sangre De Cristos and will expand to include the central highlands at 12Z. Some of the adjacent forecast zones are included as a Wind Advisory and added Curry and Roosevelt Counties as an advisory, but that won't begin until 18Z. Patches of blowing dust are likely in Curry and Roosevelt Counties again today as well. The wind hazards will diminish around 00Z this evening. Otherwise, breezy and warmer conditions are forecast today, with highs rising to near normal central and west and above normal east. Northwest flow aloft will ease tonight into Monday and pressure heights will rise, leading to more warming with highs reaching a few degrees above normal most areas. && .LONG TERM... (Monday night through Saturday) Issued at 1250 AM MST Sun Dec 3 2023 Models agree that a broad ridge of high pressure will begin making its way eastward over NM by Tuesday. Several tranquil weather days are forecast Tuesday through Thursday. Thursday, however, will be on the breezy side for the eastern half thanks to a strengthening lee side surface low in northeast NM and southeast CO. Winds increase further on Friday, ahead of a of an upper level trough that global models now keep mainly north of NM Friday night and Saturday. Deep EPAC convection continues to translate westward near 5N southeast of HI, acting to create a slightly more zonal flow into northern CA and the PACNW Thursday and Thursday night. This keeps the flow aloft over the western U.S. quasi-zonal longer into Thursday night and Friday. The deep closed low progged by most global models for next weekend is now forecast to be much more fleeting as the flow aloft remains much more progressive that previously forecast. Uncertainty with regard to this wave remains high, but the potential for this trough to dig farther south and become a player for NM continues, albeit with diminishing probabilities. && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 305 AM MST Sun Dec 3 2023 VFR conditions prevail and are forecast to persist through the TAF period with periods of VFR cigs in high clouds and strong northwest flow. KLVS and KTCC will see the strongest winds today, with frequent gusts to between 30 and 40kts. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 1250 AM MST Sun Dec 3 2023 Near-critical fire weather conditions are forecast today across the eastern plains, where humidity will remain above critical threshold. Otherwise, windy to very windy conditions are forecast along/east of the central mountain chain today, with breezy conditions elsewhere. A warming/drying trend is forecast from early through mid week as an upper level ridge moves east across the region and is replaced with increasing westerlies by the end of the week. Temperatures will rise well above normal Wed/Thu. Winds will trend up Thu/Fri, especially east of the central mountain chain where near-critical fire weather conditions are possible. Vent rates will be mostly poor from early to mid week under the influence of the upper level ridge, but will improve toward the end of the week as the westerlies increase. An upper level trough will bring stronger winds and a cold front late Friday into Saturday, with the potential for wetting precipitation near the CO border. Colder conditions with poor ventilation will settle in behind the cold front next weekend. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 47 25 48 22 / 0 0 0 0 Dulce........................... 41 16 47 11 / 5 0 0 0 Cuba............................ 41 22 43 18 / 0 0 0 0 Gallup.......................... 47 20 50 16 / 0 0 0 0 El Morro........................ 44 22 49 20 / 0 0 0 0 Grants.......................... 47 22 51 19 / 0 0 0 0 Quemado......................... 47 24 51 23 / 0 0 0 0 Magdalena....................... 51 31 54 29 / 0 0 0 0 Datil........................... 47 26 51 27 / 0 0 0 0 Reserve......................... 56 23 59 25 / 0 0 0 0 Glenwood........................ 58 34 63 38 / 0 0 0 0 Chama........................... 35 16 43 16 / 5 0 0 0 Los Alamos...................... 41 28 45 27 / 0 0 0 0 Pecos........................... 43 28 51 27 / 0 0 0 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 39 21 45 21 / 0 0 0 0 Red River....................... 34 17 43 12 / 0 0 0 0 Angel Fire...................... 35 13 45 2 / 0 0 0 0 Taos............................ 41 16 45 15 / 0 0 0 0 Mora............................ 43 25 52 22 / 0 0 0 0 Espanola........................ 47 23 48 21 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Fe........................ 41 28 46 28 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 44 25 47 24 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 49 32 51 30 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 51 31 53 29 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 53 28 54 26 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 51 29 52 27 / 0 0 0 0 Belen........................... 56 27 55 25 / 0 0 0 0 Bernalillo...................... 50 29 52 26 / 0 0 0 0 Bosque Farms.................... 54 26 54 24 / 0 0 0 0 Corrales........................ 51 29 52 26 / 0 0 0 0 Los Lunas....................... 55 26 54 26 / 0 0 0 0 Placitas........................ 46 31 49 29 / 0 0 0 0 Rio Rancho...................... 50 30 52 28 / 0 0 0 0 Socorro......................... 59 32 57 31 / 0 0 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 43 31 47 29 / 0 0 0 0 Tijeras......................... 46 30 49 26 / 0 0 0 0 Edgewood........................ 46 29 50 22 / 0 0 0 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 48 22 52 18 / 0 0 0 0 Clines Corners.................. 43 26 48 24 / 0 0 0 0 Mountainair..................... 49 29 52 24 / 0 0 0 0 Gran Quivira.................... 50 29 53 25 / 0 0 0 0 Carrizozo....................... 53 33 57 33 / 0 0 0 0 Ruidoso......................... 49 32 54 31 / 0 0 0 0 Capulin......................... 50 22 56 24 / 0 0 0 0 Raton........................... 53 20 59 22 / 0 0 0 0 Springer........................ 53 21 60 21 / 0 0 0 0 Las Vegas....................... 49 27 57 24 / 0 0 0 0 Clayton......................... 56 27 60 29 / 0 0 0 0 Roy............................. 53 26 58 25 / 0 0 0 0 Conchas......................... 61 26 60 26 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Rosa...................... 55 31 60 27 / 0 0 0 0 Tucumcari....................... 61 25 59 24 / 0 0 0 0 Clovis.......................... 60 29 61 31 / 0 0 0 0 Portales........................ 62 28 62 30 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Sumner..................... 61 30 63 29 / 0 0 0 0 Roswell......................... 67 34 66 35 / 0 0 0 0 Picacho......................... 59 36 65 35 / 0 0 0 0 Elk............................. 57 33 63 32 / 0 0 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning until 5 PM MST this afternoon for NMZ213>215. Wind Advisory until 5 PM MST this afternoon for NMZ212-221- 227>229-233. High Wind Warning until 5 PM MST this afternoon for NMZ223. Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 5 PM MST this afternoon for NMZ235-236. && SHORT TERM...11 LONG TERM....33 AVIATION...11
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A mesonet station near Thompson Cattle Ranch measured a peak gust of 62 mph.
A mesonet station southeast of Vaughn measured a peak gust of 67 mph. Gusts of 58 mph or higher were measured consistently during this time frame.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, December 2023
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: 1143418, 1143417.