Drought continued to improve across northern and central NM during March, 2023. The area with no drought conditions increased to nearly half of the state.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
Drought continued to improve across northern and central NM during March, 2023. The area with no drought conditions increased to nearly half of the state. The areas of severe to extreme drought remained the same as the month before, entirely focused through the eastern half of the state. At month's end this included 16 percent in severe drought, of which 4 percent was in extreme drought.
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 Feb 28, 10:19 PM MST, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1019 PM MST Tue Feb 28 2023 ...New AVIATION... .UPDATE... Issued at 733 PM MST Tue Feb 28 2023 Update to Winter highlights. The Winter Storm Watches have been upgraded to Winter Storm Warnings for the Chuska and Tusas Mountains given the higher confidence of snow accumulations reaching 10 inches or more here from Wednesday morning through Thursday. The rest of the Winter Storm Watches will begin at 5pm MST Wednesday evening, better coinciding with the timing of the Pacific cold front arriving into western NM. 24 && .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 137 PM MST Tue Feb 28 2023 Breezy, and often windy, weather will impact northern and central New Mexico through much of this week with wind speeds finally lowering some on Saturday before increasing again early next week. On Wednesday, wind speeds the strongest wind speeds will be found along and east of the central mountain chain, and strong winds will then increase in speed and expand into western areas of the state on Thursday. Overall, wind speeds will not be as strong on Friday, but still quite gusty in many high terrain locations. In addition to the strong and gusty winds, precipitation will gradually expand over New Mexico through Thursday. Initially, light snow showers will be possible over the Tusas and Chuskas mountains in north central and northwestern New Mexico tonight and early Wednesday. Rain and snow will expand over more of western New Mexico late Wednesday and Wednesday night, before spreading into central and eventually eastern areas of the state early to midday Thursday. Light snow accumulations of 1 to 2 inches will be common at lower elevations in western and central New Mexico while higher elevations observe more significant amounts reaching as high as 8 to 12 inches on western and northern peaks above 9,000 feet. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Wednesday night) Issued at 137 PM MST Tue Feb 28 2023 Cold, 522dm, upper-level trough over western OR starting to show signs of closing off in water vapor imagery this afternoon. Patchy, warm-sector isentropic upglide snow is forecast by all models to be the initial precipitation ahead of the trough across the higher terrain of the northwest third of the state Wednesday. Models continue to remain in good agreement with one another, closing the low off as it drops into far northern CA Wednesday morning and then to near Las Vegas, NV by sunset Wednesday. The main cold front and associated heavy snow band is forecast to move through western NM late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning, likely bringing travel impacts to much of western NM late Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Expanded the Winter Storm Watch to include more of western NM based on potential travel impacts to I-40, U.S. Highway 60, and state highway 12 to name a few. Also included the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the watch given the increased upglide snow amounts from the 12Z model runs and the wrap-around snow expected Thursday. The timing of the initial heavy snow band along the front is favorable, during the early morning hours with few travel impacts. This front, however, resembles the past couple of strong cold fronts with a tightly packed baroclinic zone (temperature difference). A snow squall is certainly not out of the question from this system is it traverses western and central NM early Thursday. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday through Monday) Issued at 137 PM MST Tue Feb 28 2023 Prognosis for the upper low on Thursday is for it to cross NM south of I-40 through the day and exit into west TX by late afternoon. While strong frontogenetical forcing will be a focus for precipitation along the baroclinic zone early Thursday morning, precipitation through the remainder of the day will be forced via central dynamics within the low and predominantly in the wrap- around (north to northwestern periphery) section of the low. Precipitation would taper off from west to east in the afternoon, not fully exiting eastern NM until early Thursday evening. Wind will also be a concern with the H7 jet rounding the base of the low and spiking over Chihuahua at 70-80 kts. While the highest mid level speeds will be found south of NM, plenty of strong winds will precede and accompany the passage of the low, surging during the frontal passage and then shifting direction with more of a northerly component. The High Wind Watch for Thursday was expanded to the Chaves county plains where gusts to 60 mph will be possible, and areas along the Continental Divide may also reach this benchmark, but should be covered by the winter highlights (Winter Storm Watch out now). Temperatures Thursday night into Friday morning will be about 5 to 10 degrees colder due to cold air advection, but the stiff breezes in many zones may prevent areas from dropping as cold as they would otherwise. Friday will definitely be less active, but not necessarily tranquil, as strong west northwest flow aloft will persist while shortwave perturbations slip over the northern and central Rockies. Daytime high temperatures on Friday would actually rebound 5 to 10 degrees above Thursday's readings with less clouds, precipitation and higher pressure heights. A weak front will slide through the forecast area Friday night into early Saturday morning with only a few degrees of cooling expected in the eastern plains going into the afternoon Saturday. Despite the polar jet nosing back into western states and parts of northwestern NM Saturday, the surface front should disrupt vertical mixing enough to limit winds with some of the lower speeds of the week expected in most locations then. Into the first half of next week, the polar jet will continue to scream across southern CA into the northern Great Plains with speeds commonly at 140-160kt at H3. While the core of the stronger winds will be displaced north of NM, speeds aloft will still be quite strong, keeping breezy to windy conditions going, even through much of the nighttime hours (especially at higher elevations). This nocturnal mixing will keep overnight temperatures elevated early next week while daytime readings hover near average in western and central zones and slightly above in the eastern plains. Mostly dry conditions are modeled Sunday through Wednesday, but periodic subtropical mid level moisture intrusions could occasionally break this trend with generally light and fast-moving showers. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1013 PM MST Tue Feb 28 2023 Winds have decoupled this evening and most areas will remain light and vrb through the night. LLWS will be the exception to this rule for a few spots along the high terrain. Strong wly winds increase again Wednesday morning, starting near 15Z at the usual wind prone higher terrain areas before spreading to lower elevations by 17Z-18Z. Widespread peak gusts of 25-35kts will be common, with the strongest gusts up to 40-45kts focused over the Sacramento Mts near KSRR during the afternoon period. By 00Z, shsn that will be mainly focused over the Chuska and Tusas Mts through the day will finally begin expanding to surrounding lower elevations of western and northwestern NM. This includes KFMN and KGUP where a potent Pacific cold front will bring a brief bout of mod-hvy snow and IFR conditions, coupled with a sudden and strong wly wind shift. This front looks to continue eastward to KGNT, then KABQ after 06Z heading into Thursday morning. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 137 PM MST Tue Feb 28 2023 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH EARLY EVENING WEDNESDAY FOR THE EAST-CENTRAL PLAINS DUE TO VERY WINDY AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS... Critical fire conditions continue in portions of central and eastern NM through early this evening. Strong winds return to the east- central plains Wednesday afternoon and with very dry air and fuels in place, critical fire weather conditions develop. Winds Wednesday will increase somewhat over today's reading's as another cold upper low moves in from the west Wednesday night and Thursday. Critical conditions attempt to hang on over southern Roosevelt county into Thursday afternoon. Expect another round of accumulating snow, heavy at times, for much of the western two-thirds by Thursday afternoon. Much more settled, but breezy to locally windy weather returns Friday through the weekend. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 29 48 25 44 / 30 70 70 30 Dulce........................... 20 43 18 41 / 40 90 70 50 Cuba............................ 22 45 19 38 / 5 40 80 70 Gallup.......................... 25 42 18 38 / 10 50 80 40 El Morro........................ 21 42 18 35 / 5 20 80 50 Grants.......................... 20 48 19 41 / 0 10 80 40 Quemado......................... 24 46 16 35 / 5 10 80 50 Magdalena....................... 29 53 23 38 / 0 0 80 40 Datil........................... 25 46 17 33 / 5 5 80 40 Reserve......................... 23 49 14 39 / 5 30 90 50 Glenwood........................ 29 53 23 41 / 5 20 90 40 Chama........................... 16 35 16 37 / 40 90 80 80 Los Alamos...................... 25 43 26 37 / 0 40 80 70 Pecos........................... 24 46 24 37 / 0 20 60 80 Cerro/Questa.................... 23 38 27 37 / 5 40 70 70 Red River....................... 14 34 17 30 / 10 50 70 80 Angel Fire...................... 12 34 19 33 / 10 40 70 90 Taos............................ 21 41 22 38 / 0 30 60 70 Mora............................ 22 44 23 36 / 0 10 60 70 Espanola........................ 25 51 28 42 / 0 30 70 70 Santa Fe........................ 25 46 25 39 / 0 30 80 80 Santa Fe Airport................ 25 49 25 42 / 0 20 80 70 Albuquerque Foothills........... 32 56 29 43 / 0 5 80 70 Albuquerque Heights............. 30 58 28 45 / 0 5 70 50 Albuquerque Valley.............. 28 61 27 47 / 0 5 70 50 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 28 58 27 45 / 0 5 80 50 Belen........................... 27 61 27 50 / 0 0 70 50 Bernalillo...................... 28 59 28 45 / 0 10 80 60 Bosque Farms.................... 26 61 26 49 / 0 5 70 60 Corrales........................ 28 59 28 45 / 0 5 80 60 Los Lunas....................... 26 61 27 49 / 0 5 70 50 Placitas........................ 29 53 28 42 / 0 10 80 70 Rio Rancho...................... 28 58 27 44 / 0 5 80 60 Socorro......................... 30 64 29 48 / 0 0 70 40 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 27 48 24 36 / 0 10 80 80 Tijeras......................... 28 52 25 38 / 0 10 80 80 Edgewood........................ 26 52 23 37 / 0 5 70 70 Moriarty/Estancia............... 22 54 23 39 / 0 5 60 60 Clines Corners.................. 25 51 22 36 / 0 0 50 60 Mountainair..................... 27 54 23 37 / 0 0 60 70 Gran Quivira.................... 28 54 23 39 / 0 0 60 70 Carrizozo....................... 39 59 28 43 / 0 0 50 60 Ruidoso......................... 34 51 23 36 / 0 0 40 70 Capulin......................... 21 49 22 32 / 0 0 30 70 Raton........................... 19 51 22 36 / 0 0 40 70 Springer........................ 20 54 22 38 / 0 0 40 60 Las Vegas....................... 24 50 26 39 / 0 0 40 60 Clayton......................... 24 57 29 40 / 0 0 10 70 Roy............................. 27 55 29 40 / 0 0 20 60 Conchas......................... 30 64 33 47 / 0 0 10 70 Santa Rosa...................... 29 60 30 44 / 0 0 10 60 Tucumcari....................... 31 64 32 47 / 0 0 0 60 Clovis.......................... 35 67 34 49 / 0 0 0 50 Portales........................ 35 69 35 51 / 0 0 0 50 Fort Sumner..................... 34 65 31 46 / 0 0 0 60 Roswell......................... 40 75 37 55 / 0 0 0 20 Picacho......................... 40 63 31 47 / 0 0 5 30 Elk............................. 40 61 27 43 / 0 0 10 50 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon for NMZ203>206-208-211-213-214. Winter Storm Warning from 5 AM Wednesday to 5 PM MST Thursday for NMZ202-210. Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 6 PM MST Wednesday for NMZ126. High Wind Watch from Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for NMZ226-239-240. High Wind Watch from Thursday morning through Thursday afternoon for NMZ238. && SHORT TERM...33 LONG TERM....52 AVIATION...24
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
612 PM MST TUE FEB 28 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1216 PM HIGH SUST WINDS 3 S CAPULIN 36.70N 104.00W
02/26/2023 M48 MPH UNION NM PUBLIC
DELAYED LSR: PRIVATE WEATHER STATION -
KNMDESMO6.
&&
RJHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
613 PM MST TUE FEB 28 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1130 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 S CAPULIN 36.70N 104.00W
02/26/2023 M66 MPH UNION NM PUBLIC
DELAYED LSR: PRIVATE WEATHER STATION -
KNMDESMO6.
&&
RJHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
634 PM MST TUE FEB 28 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0313 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ENE CLOVIS 34.42N 103.16W
02/26/2023 M90 MPH CURRY NM MESONET
DELAYED LSR: CWOP STATION GW0819 CLOVIS.
&&
RJHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
643 PM MST TUE FEB 28 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1230 PM HIGH SUST WINDS 6 NNE TINNIE 33.45N 105.20W
02/26/2023 M47 MPH LINCOLN NM PUBLIC
DELAYED LSR: PRIVATE WEATHER STATION
KNMTINNI2.
&&
RJHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought conditions improved to moderate drought through a majority of the Northwest Highlands.
Severe drought conditions improved to moderate drought through the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Severe drought conditions from October 2022 persisted through March 2023.
Severe drought conditions persisted through March 2023.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October 2022 continued through March 2023. A very small area of exceptional drought between Clayton and Sedan persisted through March.
Severe drought conditions persisted through March 2023.
Severe drought conditions from October 2022 persisted in the northern section of the county through March 2023.
Severe drought conditions from October 2022 persisted through March 2023.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October 2022 persisted through March 2023.
Severe to extreme drought conditions from October 2022 persisted through March 2023.
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, March 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: 1080304, 1080305, 1080306, 1080307, 1080308, 1080309, 1080310, 1080311, 1080312, 1080313.