S. brought a strong portion of the jetstream over NM March 30, 2023.
Every event with a place to put it; 28 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.
A strong upper level storm system crossing the western U.S. brought a strong portion of the jetstream over NM March 30, 2023. Aided by a deep surface low pressure system over eastern CO, strong winds aloft reached the surface throughout the day. These winds did not entirely die off overnight and turned westerly and then northwesterly on March 31, 2023. Wind speeds restrengthened to high wind speeds again on March 31st focused mostly through east-central and northeastern NM before finally tapering off through the afternoon. Peak wind gusts generally ranged from 60 to 70 mph with a top speed of 86 mph being observed at the Magdalena Ridge Observatory. Wind damage was also reported along I-25 at Tijeras and in Estancia on March 30th. Reduced visibility from isolated blowing dust along I-25 was also reported at Wagon Mound and observed on satellite near Springer.
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 Mar 30, 4:42 AM MST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 542 AM MDT Thu Mar 30 2023 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 300 AM MDT Thu Mar 30 2023 Widespread strong to damaging southwesterly winds and widespread critical fire weather conditions are expected today. Hazardous crosswinds and areas of blowing dust will create difficult travel, particularly in eastern New Mexico. Light rain and snow showers are possible today and tonight over northwest and north central New Mexico. Strong to damaging winds, areas of blowing dust and critical fire weather conditions resume Friday over eastern New Mexico. Temperatures cool Friday then warm this weekend with afternoon breezes developing Saturday and Sunday across eastern New Mexico. Another round of strong winds and widespread critical fire weather conditions is possible early next week. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Friday) Issued at 300 AM MDT Thu Mar 30 2023 The NM wind machine will be cranked to the high position today and Friday. 700 mb winds of 45 to 60kt from the southwest are expected today ahead of an upper level trough/elongated low approaching the state. Mixing heights are expected to reach the H7 level, if not significantly surpass it, across much of central and eastern NM. Thus, expect that momentum to mix down to the surface. Aiding the strong winds will be a surface low deepening to near 990 mb across eastern CO, resulting in a strong pressure gradient across NM. So, all-in-all, expect today to be very windy areawide. Surface wind gusts of 55 to 70 mph will be common, with the strongest gusts likely along and east of the Central Mountain Chain as well as across the Southwest Mountains. With many areas receiving less than 25 percent of normal precipitation over the last 30 days across eastern NM, it's likely that the winds will create areas of blowing dust and restricted visibility. Patchy areas of blowing dust will be possible even within the Rio Grande Valley. As the trough inches eastward today, an associated Pacific cold front will enter northwest NM this afternoon. Winds will shift around to the west behind the front and some light rain and mountain snow showers can be expected. As the trough shift eastward over the state tonight, the Pacific front will continue to push through the area. Winds will generally decrease from the daytime, but gusty winds will persist. One exception will be the South Central Mountains and the higher elevations of southwest Chaves County where strong to damaging winds will persist through the overnight hours. Precipitation will struggle to make much eastward progress, thus the northern and western mountains will be favored. A couple inches of snow accumulation will be possible across the Northern Mountains to include the Chuska Mountains overnight, particularly on west-facing slopes above 8000 feet with lesser accumulations below. The trough axis will shift over west Texas Friday morning, and precipitation will quickly come to an end. However, a 50kt H7 jet on the back side of the system will be positioned across eastern NM. Again, very strong mixing and a healthy surface pressure gradient will allow for strong to damaging winds across eastern NM, though this time from the west-northwest. A High Wind Watch was issued for much of eastern NM for gusts up to 65 mph. It will be cooler than today after the cold front passage, but the winds should kick up dust all the same. && .LONG TERM... (Friday night through Wednesday) Issued at 300 AM MDT Thu Mar 30 2023 As winds taper off Friday night, lows under mostly clear skies will be near to about 10 degrees colder than normal. Forecast models remain consistent depicting a short wave crossing New Mexico from west to east Saturday/Saturday night. An increase in clouds may accompany this feature but it looks to be dry with little to no impact on temperatures. Breezy winds Saturday will increase Sunday and moreso Monday as westerly flow transitions to southwesterly in advance of a storm system developing into the Great Basin and central Rockies. Models still vary with the details but this looks like another fire weather and wind event for Monday through Wednesday. The strongest winds look to be on Tuesday with potential for damaging wind gusts over the central and east. In fact even the ECMWF guidance is indicating a high wind event, which is impressive given that it's usually forecasting on the lower end of wind speeds. Any precipitation would again favor the northwest and north central Monday night through Tuesday night, which tapers off Wednesday. High temperatures would turn considerably cooler Tuesday and are forecast to be near to about 15 degrees below normal. Wednesday would also be cooler than normal by about 5-20 degrees. && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 531 AM MDT Thu Mar 30 2023 Southwest winds will rapidly increase late this morning areawide. Widespread gusts of 45 to 55kt are likely with the strongest gusts along and east of the Central Mountain Chain. These winds may result in blowing dust reducing vsby across eastern NM, including KTCC and KROW where MVFR conditions are possible though confidence is low. This afternoon, a Pacific front will move into northwest NM. Behind the front, winds will switch out of the west but remain gusty and light precipitation will develop. Snow will prevail across the mountains with mt obscurations possible, with rain dominant elsewhere. However, late this evening all areas should change over to snow. The Pacific front will continue to race eastward this evening, but precip will remain focused across NW NM. Westerly winds with gusts between 30 and 40kt will persist through the overnight hours, though stronger gusts are expected around KSRR. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 300 AM MDT Thu Mar 30 2023 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN NM AND FRIDAY ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS... Near to above normal temperatures, very low humidity values, strong to damaging southwest winds and moderate to high Haines indices are expected today across central and eastern New Mexico. As temperatures soar to as much as 10 degrees above normal across eastern NM, humidity values will plummet into the single digits for several hours. Wind gusts of 55 to 70 mph are also expected. As a result, critical fire weather conditions are expected for much of central and eastern NM below snowpack and a Red Flag Warning is in effect. Across western NM, it will be windy, though RH values will not be as low. A Pacific cold front will push from west to east late this afternoon and overnight. Some light precipitation is expected across northwest NM and the northern mountains through tonight. Winds will shift around to the west behind the front but will remain gusty. Winds will restrengthen Friday across much of eastern NM where gusts may reach 65 mph. Temperatures will be cooler behind the frontal passage, but humidity values are still expected to drop below 15% across the eastern plains. A Red Flag Warning remains in effect for the Northeast and East Central Plains Friday. Saturday will be much calmer in terms of wind speeds, but they still may be strong enough to warrant critical fire weather conditions across northeast NM. Critical fire weather conditions will continue on Sunday across eastern NM with strong zonal flow aloft and a deepening surface low across southeast CO. Critical fire weather conditions will become more widespread Monday and Tuesday as another trough crosses the state. Wind speeds on Monday and especially Tuesday have the potential to be quite strong. Additionally, more than 8 hours of single digit humidity values are expected across much of eastern NM as well as the lower Rio Grande Valley on Monday. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 54 29 51 26 / 20 20 0 0 Dulce........................... 51 24 44 16 / 40 50 5 0 Cuba............................ 55 26 45 23 / 10 30 5 0 Gallup.......................... 49 26 49 23 / 20 30 0 0 El Morro........................ 51 23 45 23 / 10 40 0 0 Grants.......................... 57 24 50 21 / 0 10 0 0 Quemado......................... 53 24 48 26 / 0 20 0 0 Magdalena....................... 60 30 53 30 / 0 0 0 0 Datil........................... 54 26 49 26 / 0 5 0 0 Reserve......................... 56 26 55 29 / 0 10 0 0 Glenwood........................ 61 31 57 36 / 0 5 0 0 Chama........................... 47 19 36 13 / 40 50 10 5 Los Alamos...................... 58 30 48 26 / 5 30 10 0 Pecos........................... 59 26 47 26 / 0 10 5 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 50 25 41 20 / 5 20 5 0 Red River....................... 45 17 35 15 / 10 30 10 0 Angel Fire...................... 47 19 38 16 / 5 40 10 0 Taos............................ 57 26 45 19 / 5 20 5 0 Mora............................ 57 25 44 23 / 0 20 5 0 Espanola........................ 65 32 54 25 / 5 20 5 0 Santa Fe........................ 60 28 50 26 / 5 30 10 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 63 29 53 26 / 5 20 5 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 65 34 54 32 / 0 10 5 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 66 36 57 33 / 0 5 0 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 68 34 59 31 / 0 5 0 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 67 33 56 31 / 0 10 0 0 Belen........................... 71 34 61 30 / 0 5 0 0 Bernalillo...................... 67 34 56 30 / 0 10 5 0 Bosque Farms.................... 69 33 60 30 / 0 5 0 0 Corrales........................ 67 34 56 31 / 0 10 0 0 Los Lunas....................... 69 34 60 30 / 0 5 0 0 Placitas........................ 64 33 53 30 / 0 20 5 0 Rio Rancho...................... 66 33 55 30 / 0 10 0 0 Socorro......................... 73 36 63 33 / 0 0 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 59 29 49 28 / 0 10 5 0 Tijeras......................... 62 30 51 29 / 0 10 5 0 Edgewood........................ 62 28 51 27 / 0 5 0 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 65 29 52 25 / 0 5 0 0 Clines Corners.................. 60 25 48 25 / 0 0 0 0 Mountainair..................... 62 28 52 28 / 0 0 0 0 Gran Quivira.................... 62 29 53 29 / 0 0 0 0 Carrizozo....................... 66 36 57 35 / 0 0 0 0 Ruidoso......................... 59 32 49 32 / 0 0 0 0 Capulin......................... 64 25 53 20 / 0 0 0 0 Raton........................... 69 26 56 20 / 0 0 0 0 Springer........................ 69 29 57 22 / 0 0 0 0 Las Vegas....................... 64 28 50 24 / 0 0 0 0 Clayton......................... 75 34 61 28 / 0 0 0 0 Roy............................. 69 31 57 25 / 0 0 0 0 Conchas......................... 78 38 65 30 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Rosa...................... 74 36 60 32 / 0 0 0 0 Tucumcari....................... 81 40 67 31 / 0 0 0 0 Clovis.......................... 79 38 64 34 / 0 0 0 0 Portales........................ 79 39 65 34 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Sumner..................... 78 38 64 33 / 0 0 0 0 Roswell......................... 83 42 72 34 / 0 0 0 0 Picacho......................... 72 39 62 33 / 0 0 0 0 Elk............................. 68 36 58 33 / 0 0 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ201>207-209>211-216>219-222-235>238. Red Flag Warning from 11 AM this morning to 9 PM MDT this evening for NMZ104-106-123>126. Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 PM MDT Friday for NMZ104-126. High Wind Warning from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ208-212>215-220-221-223>225-227>234-239-241. High Wind Watch from Friday morning through Friday evening for NMZ215-223-227>237. High Wind Warning from 11 AM this morning to 6 AM MDT Friday for NMZ226-240. && SHORT TERM...34 LONG TERM....99 AVIATION...34
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
28 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Sierra Blanca Airport AWOS reported a peak wind gust of 69 mph.
The Magdalena Ridge Observatory reported a peak wind gust of 86 mph.
The Taos Ski Valley reported a peak wind gust of 69 mph.
The Gallup Airport reported a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
A public weather station reported a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
The Clines Corners ASOS reported a peak wind gust of 59 mph.
The mesonet station southeast of Vaughn reported a peak wind gust of 66 mph.
The mesonet station southeast of Vaughn reported a high sustained wind speed of 48 mph.
The FW3653 Estancia mesonet station reported a peak wind gust of 58 mph. Wind damage was also reported in Estancia with a shed being blown over, and three inch tree limbs broken.
The Clayton Airport reported a peak wind gust of 63 mph. Various other mesonet stations reported wind gusts of 58 to 60 mph.
The Raton Municipal Airport reported a peak wind gust of 61 mph.
A public weather station near Magdalena reported a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Little Burro White Sands Missile Range station reported a peak wind gust of 67 mph.
A public weather station reported a high sustained wind speed of 45 mph.
The Pole 616 Sands Missile Range station reported a peak wind gust of 61 mph. Chupadera RAWS station also reported a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
An NWS Employee reported wind damage to highway signage along I-25 at the Tijeras exit. The sign was a standard metallic exit sign that was blown down and twisted and mangled out of shape.
The Las Vegas Airport reported a peak wind gust of 64 mph.
The Tucumcari Airport reported a high sustained wind speed of 44 mph.
The Tucumcari Airport reported a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
The Roswell Industrial Airport reported a peak wind gust of 64 mph.
The Tucumcari Airport reported a high sustained wind speed of 41 mph.
The Amistad mesonet station reported a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
The mesonet station southeast of Vaughn reported a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The GW0819 mesonet station north of Melrose in western Curry County measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
The Clovis Municipal Airport measured a high sustained wind speed of 44 mph.
A public weather station near Mosquero reported a high sustained wind speed of 41 mph.
A public weather station at Sumner Lake measured a high sustained wind speed of 40 mph.
The Raton Municipal Airport reported a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
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: 1079599, 1079591, 1079593, 1079590, 1079600, 1079596, 1079604, 1079605, 1079594, 1079603, 1079601, 1079609, 1079597, 1079592, 1079598, 1079610, 1079602, 1079606, 1079607, 1079608, 1079615, 1079613, 1079611, 1079616, 1079617, 1079614, 1079618, 1079612.