A strong Pacific cold front moved through the state during the early morning hours of April 6th resulting in high wind gusts across the central mountain chain and highlands. Daytime mixing of stronger winds aloft behind the Pacific cold front and at the base of an upper level low allowed these high wind gusts to spread into the eastern plains of the state come the late morning hours persisting…
Every event with a place to put it; 18 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 Pacific cold front moved through the state during the early morning hours of April 6th resulting in high wind gusts across the central mountain chain and highlands. Daytime mixing of stronger winds aloft behind the Pacific cold front and at the base of an upper level low allowed these high wind gusts to spread into the eastern plains of the state come the late morning hours persisting into the evening hours around sunset. High winds resulted in some downed trees and powerlines in Ruidoso and some downed powerlines in Clovis. Winds across the eastern plains tapered off come sunset, but persisted across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and adjacent highlands due to mountain wave activity through the morning hours of April 7th. Winds in these locations tapered off midday April 7th.
Keyword: High Winds.
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 Apr 5, 10:49 PM MST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1149 PM MDT Fri Apr 5 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 220 PM MDT Fri Apr 5 2024 Windy conditions are continuing ahead of the system moving in late tonight. Look for this system to bring showers across mostly western and central portions of New Mexico with rain/snow expected at the lower elevations and straight snow in the mountains. To the east, conditions are expected to stay dry enough that continue strong winds will create critical fire weather conditions for Saturday. Otherwise, attentions will turn towards the mid-week where a new system will once again bring chances of showers across the area by Tuesday. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Saturday night) Issued at 220 PM MDT Fri Apr 5 2024 Model agreement is still on schedule to see the expected system move in later tonight alongside its associate cold front. For now, winds still remain gusty across the majority of New Mexico with a Wind Advisory still present until 9 pm tonight. To our east, the combination of these winds and dry conditions already present has created potential critical fire weather across the eastern border. A Red Flag Warning is set to continue until 9 pm for those areas. Once the front has move through, shower will likely follow late Friday night into early Saturday morning. Snow will be likely for all locations above 6,000 feet. However, latest model runs are continuing to trend much snow level than what was initially expected. Base off the latest 700mb temperatures, snow-levels may drop down into the 5,000 to 4,000 foot range allowing for better chances of accumulations at the lower levels. Currently a Winter Weather is issued for the Tusas Mountains and Chama where snow accumulation up at the peaks could reach near a foot of snow. However, lower areas will be closer to 1 to 3 inches with low elevation areas outside the advisory looking at and inch or two at best. Regardless, look for these shower to be confided to the western and central portions of New Mexico, which will leave the eastern boarder dry once again. Heading into Saturday and the weekend, models look to see showers tapper off by the afternoon hours with the system ejecting northeast into Nebraska. This will line up our eastern half perfectly with a strong upper-level jet for the afternoon and evening hours. Latest trends continue to see this jet produce strong winds down at the surface with locations easily reaching the 30 to 40 mph range with gusts near 55 mph. At ridge line, look for these winds to be further strengthened with gust nearing 65 mph not out of the question. Given the potential, a High Wind Warning has been issue for most of the eastern half of New Mexico. Added to this will be continue dry conditions across the eastern plains, which will start another round of critical fire weather for the area. Look for a Red Flag Warning to also be present until late Saturday night. Winds can stay rather strong at the ridge line through the overnight hours, but otherwise should quite by Sunday afternoon. && .LONG TERM... (Sunday through Thursday) Issued at 220 PM MDT Fri Apr 5 2024 System is expected to take a strong negative tilt and eject to the northeast leaving cooler air and mostly freezing temperatures across all areas for what remain of the weekend. Another weather system is expected to follow behind and work it's way down to the Las Vegas area by late Monday afternoon. It does look like there will be some moisture with this system, but there is still some uncertainty present that may limited the moisture to southern Colorado on given the current track of the upper low. By Tuesday evening we should have some better precipitation chances as the center of the low is expected to track over southern New Mexico and provide decent wrap around to the central and northern portions of our area. These better chances of precipitation are expected to continue through Tuesday night as the system slowly tracks southeast into Texas. Weak high pressure is expected to return to the area for the remainder of the extended and should lead to some quite weather through the end of the work week. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1138 PM MDT Fri Apr 5 2024 A cold front is currently racing eastward across western NM, and will soon impact ABQ and AEG with a gusty westerly wind. An Airport Weather Warning remains in effect until 07Z, though will be considering an extension. Light rain and snow has developed behind the front. MVFR cigs and vsby will be possible across much of northern and western NM. The precipitation will largely not make it past the Central Mt Chain due to strong downsloping, but snow will linger over the northern mtns through much of the morning hours. Mt obscurations will be possible. By late morning, strong westerly winds will develop areawide. Gusts to 50kt are expected across much of eastern NM today. BLDU will be possible, especially at KROW, though this will heavily depend on the wind direction. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 356 AM MDT Fri Apr 5 2024 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED TODAY AND SATURDAY... Strong winds associated with an approaching weather system, in conjunction with low RH values will lead to critical Fire Weather conditions across much of the lower elevations today, and again on Saturday. Given northwest NM may see some moisture tonight, the concerns for critical Fire Weather are much less on Saturday than today. Winds are expected to be stronger in the east tomorrow in line with a stronger surface gradient and good cross barrier flow. Given little to no moisture in the south central or eastern NM area, Red Flag Warnings have been issued for these areas. Sunday we'll continue to monitor for critical Fire Weather as RH values will still be quite low in the east, but winds are expected to be more relaxed by the afternoon time frame. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 31 49 27 56 / 60 20 0 0 Dulce........................... 21 43 18 52 / 90 50 0 0 Cuba............................ 25 42 23 51 / 80 40 0 0 Gallup.......................... 23 45 20 55 / 80 20 0 0 El Morro........................ 22 40 21 50 / 80 30 0 0 Grants.......................... 23 45 20 56 / 60 20 0 0 Quemado......................... 23 43 22 54 / 60 20 0 0 Magdalena....................... 30 46 28 58 / 20 20 0 0 Datil........................... 25 41 24 55 / 40 20 0 0 Reserve......................... 25 51 20 62 / 60 10 0 0 Glenwood........................ 34 54 31 64 / 50 10 0 0 Chama........................... 19 37 13 46 / 90 50 0 0 Los Alamos...................... 30 41 27 52 / 60 20 0 0 Pecos........................... 27 42 26 53 / 40 20 0 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 32 36 26 46 / 60 30 0 0 Red River....................... 21 33 14 44 / 60 40 0 0 Angel Fire...................... 19 32 15 43 / 50 40 0 0 Taos............................ 26 42 18 52 / 60 30 0 0 Mora............................ 26 40 24 51 / 30 40 0 0 Espanola........................ 33 50 27 60 / 60 20 0 0 Santa Fe........................ 30 43 26 54 / 50 20 0 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 31 47 26 58 / 40 10 0 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 36 50 33 61 / 40 10 0 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 36 52 31 63 / 30 10 0 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 36 54 30 65 / 30 5 0 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 36 52 31 63 / 40 5 0 0 Belen........................... 36 55 29 66 / 20 5 0 0 Bernalillo...................... 36 53 31 63 / 40 10 0 0 Bosque Farms.................... 35 54 28 65 / 30 10 0 0 Corrales........................ 36 53 31 63 / 40 10 0 0 Los Lunas....................... 36 54 30 65 / 20 10 0 0 Placitas........................ 34 48 31 58 / 40 10 0 0 Rio Rancho...................... 36 52 31 62 / 40 10 0 0 Socorro......................... 39 58 33 69 / 10 10 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 30 42 29 53 / 40 10 0 0 Tijeras......................... 31 45 29 56 / 40 10 0 0 Edgewood........................ 30 47 28 56 / 30 10 0 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 29 48 26 58 / 30 10 0 0 Clines Corners.................. 26 44 24 53 / 20 5 0 0 Mountainair..................... 30 46 27 56 / 30 10 0 0 Gran Quivira.................... 31 47 27 57 / 20 5 0 0 Carrizozo....................... 39 54 32 61 / 10 0 0 0 Ruidoso......................... 33 47 30 55 / 10 5 0 0 Capulin......................... 34 47 26 58 / 0 0 0 0 Raton........................... 34 49 28 61 / 5 0 0 0 Springer........................ 36 49 29 61 / 5 0 0 0 Las Vegas....................... 31 45 28 56 / 10 0 0 0 Clayton......................... 44 56 32 66 / 0 0 0 0 Roy............................. 38 51 31 63 / 0 0 0 0 Conchas......................... 43 58 36 70 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Rosa...................... 38 53 33 63 / 0 0 0 0 Tucumcari....................... 44 59 35 69 / 0 0 0 0 Clovis.......................... 46 61 36 69 / 0 0 0 0 Portales........................ 46 63 36 71 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Sumner..................... 42 59 35 69 / 0 0 0 0 Roswell......................... 48 67 36 75 / 0 0 0 0 Picacho......................... 40 58 33 67 / 0 0 0 0 Elk............................. 38 58 31 66 / 5 0 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning from 9 AM to 9 PM MDT Saturday for NMZ229- 231>238. Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 PM MDT Saturday for NMZ104-106- 123-125-126. Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM MDT Saturday for NMZ210. High Wind Warning from 3 AM to 9 PM MDT Saturday for NMZ223-226- 239-240. && SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM....99 AVIATION...34
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
853 PM MDT Fri Apr 5 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0804 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 3 W Farmington 36.75N 108.23W
04/05/2024 M58 MPH San Juan NM ASOS
ASOS station KFMN Farmington Airport.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
951 PM MDT Fri Apr 5 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0815 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 1 WSW Allison 35.52N 108.80W
04/05/2024 M60 MPH McKinley NM ASOS
ASOS station KGUP Gallup Airport.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
18 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The I-25 NMDOT sensor at La Bajada Hill observed a wind gust of 61 mph.
A wunderground station at Esperanza Sol y Paz southeast of Las Vegas observed a peak wind gust of 75 mph. The Las Vegas ASOS observed a peak wind gust of 63 mph during the time period.
The Clines Corners ASOS observed a peak wind gust of 64 mph.
The mesonet stations southeast of Vaughn and east of Puerto de Luna both observed peak wind gusts of 67 mph. Additionally, sustained winds at the mesonet station southeast of Vaughn peaked at 54 mph.
The Raton Airport ASOS observed a peak wind gust of 63 mph. The station also observed sustained winds as high as 43 mph during the time period. A 59 mph wind gust was also observed at a wunderground station at Philmont Scout Ranch Logistics.
A wunderground station in Nogal observed a peak wind gust of 72 mph. A peak wind gust of 67 mph and 60 mph was also observed at the Nogal mesonet and the Sierra Blanca AWOS, respectively. High winds resulted in 3 downed trees in the road in Ruidoso and 2 power line wires down. The local electricity provider reported an overall 111 customers without power.
The mesonet southwest of Clayton observed a peak wind gust of 67 mph. A peak gust of 65 mph was also observed at the Clayton LRC mesonet. Peak high wind gusts of 60 mph were also observed at the Clayton Municipal Airport ASOS and at the Amistad mesonet. The Clayton ASOS also observed peak sustained winds of 47 mph.
A mesonet station east of Fort Sumner observed a peak wind gust of 65 mph. The station also observed sustained winds peaking at 49 mph. Additionally, a mesonet station at Canyon Blanco observed a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
The mesonet at St. Vrain and a wunderground station just north of downtown Clovis observed a peak wind gust of 67 mph. Additionally, the Clovis Municipal Airport observed peak sustained winds of 49 mph and a peak wind gust of 60 mph. The high winds resulted in downed powerlines on State Route 311 just north of U.S. Highway 60, according to the Clovis Fire Department.
A peak wind gust of 61 mph was observed at the Tucumcari Municipal Airport. Additionally, sustained winds peaked at 43 mph. A nearby wunderground station in Logan observed a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
A wunderground station at Hartley Ranch observed a wind gust of 58 mph.
A peak wind gust of 58 mph was observed at the Roosevelt SWCD, Dora, and Melrose Gun Range, respectively.
A wunderground station at Sandia Airpark near Edgewood observed a peak wind gust of 65 mph. A wunderground station near Sandia Crest observed a 59 mph gust during the time period.
A wunderground station near Estancia observed a wind gust of 58 mph.
The public weather station on Kachina Peak at Taos Ski Valley observed a peak wind gust of 69 mph.
A wunderground station just south of Conchas Lake observed a wind gust of 59 mph.
The I-25 NMDOT sensor at Rowe observed a peak wind gust at 60 mph.
A wunderground station at Upper Rociada observed a peak wind gust of 78 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2024
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: 1162403, 1162411, 1162408, 1162415, 1162410, 1162409, 1162412, 1162419, 1162417, 1162416, 1162413, 1162418, 1162404, 1162407, 1162386, 1162414, 1162383, 1162401.