A backdoor front behind an upper level disturbance over the upper Midwest moved into far northeast NM the morning of July 7th. Additionally, a remnant outflow boundary was draped across far east central NM and west Texas.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 backdoor front behind an upper level disturbance over the upper Midwest moved into far northeast NM the morning of July 7th. Additionally, a remnant outflow boundary was draped across far east central NM and west Texas. These two surface features combined with higher moisture resulted in the development of strong to severe storms across these areas during the mid afternoon and evening hours. Another round of storms moved across northeast and east central NM overnight as the backdoor front surged west through the gaps of the central mountain chain. Storms caused some isolated flooding across Cannon Air Force Base. Showers and storms exited into the Texas Panhandle during the mid morning hours on July 8th. Another round of strong to severe storms developed over the north central mountains midday July 8th with penny to nickel size hail observed in the Jemez Mountains and quarter size hail near Ute Park. Some flash flooding was also observed in Las Vegas. Storms dissipated over central New Mexico shortly after sunset.
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 Jul 7, 2:44 PM MST, 56 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 344 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024 ...New SYNOPSIS, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, FIRE WEATHER... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 340 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024 A moist backdoor cold front will trigger strong to severe thunderstorms over northeast and east central areas tonight. The front will push through gaps in the central mountain chain with a gusty east wind below canyons opening into the central valley commencing around midnight tonight, then continuing through Monday. The strongest gusts may reach up to 55 mph below Tijeras Canyon in Albuquerque. Much cooler temperatures area forecast across northern, central, and eastern areas Monday. Greater thunderstorm coverage is forecast mainly east of the continental divide Monday through Wednesday, then from the east slopes of the central mountain chain westward Thursday through Saturday. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Monday night) Issued at 340 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024 High pressure aloft remains over CA while an upper level trough continues to carve out over the northern Great Plains this afternoon. This has kept northwesterly flow aloft over NM with very dry air having invaded a large majority of the forecast area as seen by plummeting dewpoints in the teens, 20’s and 30’s and falling PWATs. The exception is in northeastern and east central NM where a moist backdoor front associated with the northern Great Plains trough has infiltrated. The front is bumping up against the Sangre de Cristos and convective initiation is getting underway amid the moist upslope flow. Lots of directional wind shear is in place with 1000-1500 J/Kg of MLCAPE per the latest RAP analysis, so strong to perhaps severe cells will likely carry on into at least the evening, if not the early morning hours. The CAMs keep activity focused over the northeastern quadrant of the state, not really overtaking much of the TX/OK panhandle until after midnight. Given recent high resolution and CAMs often delayed representation of CI, this could be too late of a display of storms with cells potentially expanding farther south of I-40 by the midnight to early morning hours, so POPs were expanded a bit into east central zones. Synoptic high pressure would already be building over eastern NM and west TX, and how the convection fares could potentially intensify this if widespread convection breaks out over west TX a few hours earlier (evening) than modeled. This would hasten and strengthen the gap/canyon wind, but models and MOS guidance are not on board with this scenario. This makes it tricky with the High Wind Watch for the ABQ metro, but for now have opted to just convert it to a Wind Advisory. As we get closer to dawn and into the late morning eastern zones should begin to stabilize more, transitioning any precip from a convective mode to more of a stratiform one. This could yield some light rain or even drizzle in some east central to southeastern zones into late Monday morning with the stable conditions limiting, but likely not fully eliminating thunder opportunities even into the afternoon. This will put the focus for convective initiation over the northern mountains early Monday afternoon, and while CAMs are not overly enthused, the Continental Divide could be another initiation point as moist easterly upslope flow would be favorable on the east faces. With the northern plains trough moving farther east and the upper high setting up over southern CA, the flow aloft would remain out of the north northeast with lots of directional shear to make opportunities for severe storms. && .LONG TERM... (Tuesday through Saturday) Issued at 340 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024 A moist southeasterly return flow at the surface will enable scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop both Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons with the greatest coverage of cells along the central mountain chain and over the southwest mountains. With a mid-level high pressure system centered over the Great Basin, storms will generally move from north to south over the forecast area both days. Perturbations in the northerly flow aloft will ride over an axis of higher instability and favorable bulk shear for at least a few strong-to-severe thunderstorms east of the central mountain chain both days. Temperatures will trend warmer both days while remaining a few to several degrees below 1991-2020 averages across the east. Surface winds are currently projected to veer more out of the south on Thursday and Friday causing moisture to trend lower over eastern areas and higher over western areas each day. This will result in a downtick in thunderstorm coverage from the central mountain chain eastward, and shift the focus for convection more over western areas. High temperatures will mostly continue warming in the east as well, with readings roughly around 30-year averages areawide by Friday. The upper high is forecast to migrate westward over UT, shifting the storm motion from northwest to southeast Thursday and moreso Friday. The upper high is forecast to recenter over CO by Saturday causing NM storms to move a bit more toward the west. However, there will could be a downtick in storm coverage and rainfall intensity on Saturday as drier air and an area of subsidence move over southeast and central parts of the forecast area ahead of an easterly wave tracking northwestward over northern Mexico. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1146 AM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024 Drier and hotter air will feed into much of northern and central New Mexico as breezy to windy conditions develop this afternoon. Gusts of 20 to 35 kt will possible over many locations. Hot temperatures will lead to high density altitude readings which will produce poor aircraft performance for many. In the northeastern quadrant of New Mexico, it's a different story, as a moist cold front will be backing into the area. Most of the low clouds associated with this initial arrival are lifting above MVFR levels (3000 ft AGL), but widespread low clouds (MVFR to IFR, or 500ft to 1000ft ceilings) will return over much of the eastern half of the state tonight. In addition, showers and thunderstorms will develop late this afternoon on the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristos, gradually moving into portions of east central and northeastern New Mexico tonight. The previously mentioned front will accelerate southwestward tonight, spilling through gaps and canyons within the central mountain chain and heading toward the Continental Divide. As this happens, gusty winds of 40 to 50 kt will be possible near KABQ between 08/0500 and 08/1400UTC, necessitating an Airport Weather Warning. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 340 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024 Critical fire weather conditions are starting to get underway over northwestern NM this afternoon as unseasonably strong west northwest winds continue to draw hotter and drier air into the state. Much of the remaining areas of western and central NM are also seeing dry and hot conditions, but the winds are not quite as strong. In northeastern and east central NM, a moist backdoor cold front is currently invading from the northeast, bringing gusty and shifting winds, but the arrival of higher humidity is eliminating concerns for critical fire weather behind it. Storms will continue building and developing over northeastern and some east central portions of NM this evening and perhaps even after midnight. While this is occurring the front will accelerate westward into the Rio Grande valley and toward the Continental Divide. This could produce strong canyon winds with gusts of 35 to 55 mph immediately downwind of vulnerable gaps and canyons tonight. The front will increase moisture and lead to a more active shower and thunderstorm pattern into Monday and the rest of the week (outside of the far northwestern and west central zones). This wetter and generally more tranquil pattern (from a wind standpoint) will keep fire weather concerns at bay while offering scattered footprints of soaking rainfall. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 57 91 60 92 / 0 5 5 0 Dulce........................... 44 83 46 87 / 0 40 30 30 Cuba............................ 51 81 50 85 / 0 40 30 30 Gallup.......................... 49 88 51 90 / 0 0 5 10 El Morro........................ 46 83 50 85 / 0 20 20 30 Grants.......................... 52 84 52 87 / 0 20 20 30 Quemado......................... 52 87 53 88 / 0 5 20 50 Magdalena....................... 58 81 57 85 / 0 20 20 50 Datil........................... 54 82 53 84 / 0 20 20 60 Reserve......................... 53 93 51 92 / 0 10 20 60 Glenwood........................ 65 98 62 95 / 5 20 20 70 Chama........................... 44 75 44 79 / 10 70 40 50 Los Alamos...................... 57 74 55 79 / 10 70 30 50 Pecos........................... 54 72 51 80 / 30 60 30 70 Cerro/Questa.................... 39 73 42 78 / 30 80 40 70 Red River....................... 42 63 42 70 / 40 80 40 80 Angel Fire...................... 38 66 38 72 / 40 80 30 70 Taos............................ 49 76 47 81 / 30 70 30 50 Mora............................ 49 67 46 76 / 40 70 40 70 Espanola........................ 55 82 54 87 / 10 60 30 30 Santa Fe........................ 58 77 55 81 / 20 60 40 60 Santa Fe Airport................ 56 80 53 84 / 10 50 30 40 Albuquerque Foothills........... 63 80 61 89 / 10 30 20 40 Albuquerque Heights............. 65 83 63 90 / 0 20 20 30 Albuquerque Valley.............. 59 85 55 93 / 0 20 20 20 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 64 84 61 91 / 0 20 20 20 Belen........................... 60 86 58 92 / 0 20 20 30 Bernalillo...................... 63 84 59 92 / 0 30 20 30 Bosque Farms.................... 58 85 54 92 / 0 20 20 20 Corrales........................ 63 84 58 93 / 0 30 20 30 Los Lunas....................... 60 85 56 92 / 0 20 20 20 Placitas........................ 61 80 59 87 / 5 30 20 40 Rio Rancho...................... 64 83 60 91 / 0 30 20 20 Socorro......................... 65 89 63 93 / 0 20 20 40 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 56 73 54 83 / 10 30 20 40 Tijeras......................... 58 75 56 85 / 10 30 20 40 Edgewood........................ 55 73 54 85 / 10 30 20 40 Moriarty/Estancia............... 54 74 51 85 / 10 30 20 40 Clines Corners.................. 52 69 51 80 / 20 40 20 50 Mountainair..................... 55 74 53 84 / 20 30 20 50 Gran Quivira.................... 55 76 53 84 / 5 30 20 60 Carrizozo....................... 62 80 60 87 / 0 40 20 60 Ruidoso......................... 53 71 51 78 / 5 60 40 70 Capulin......................... 49 69 48 76 / 70 50 10 40 Raton........................... 52 74 51 80 / 70 60 20 40 Springer........................ 56 75 52 82 / 70 60 20 50 Las Vegas....................... 53 68 50 76 / 50 60 30 60 Clayton......................... 57 75 56 83 / 70 40 10 20 Roy............................. 57 72 55 80 / 60 50 20 40 Conchas......................... 61 76 59 87 / 60 50 30 20 Santa Rosa...................... 60 73 57 83 / 30 50 30 30 Tucumcari....................... 60 76 57 86 / 50 40 30 10 Clovis.......................... 62 76 59 86 / 30 70 50 10 Portales........................ 62 76 59 88 / 30 70 50 10 Fort Sumner..................... 63 75 60 87 / 20 50 30 10 Roswell......................... 70 81 65 91 / 10 60 40 20 Picacho......................... 62 76 59 85 / 5 60 40 50 Elk............................. 57 75 56 83 / 0 60 40 60 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until 7 PM MDT this evening for NMZ101. Wind Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 9 AM MDT Monday for NMZ219. Heat Advisory until 9 PM MDT this evening for NMZ238. && SHORT TERM...52 LONG TERM....44 AVIATION...52
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
233 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024
NMZ227-228-072045-
Far Northeast Highlands-Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton
Pass-
233 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTH CENTRAL COLFAX COUNTY
THROUGH 245 PM MDT...
At 232 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Raton, moving east at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Raton and Raton Crews Airport.
This includes the following highways...
Interstate 25 between Mile Markers 438 and 457.
Highway 64 between Mile Markers 334 and 344.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy
building.
&&
LAT...LON 3671 10473 3691 10476 3696 10442 3669 10442
TIME...MOT...LOC 2032Z 263DEG 18KT 3682 10452
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
GuyerSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
248 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024
NMZ227-228-072115-
Far Northeast Highlands-Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton
Pass-
248 PM MDT Sun Jul 7 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTH CENTRAL COLFAX COUNTY
THROUGH 315 PM MDT...
At 248 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Raton, moving east at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Raton, Sugarite, and Raton Crews Airport.
This includes the following highways...
Interstate 25 between Mile Markers 438 and 456.
Highway 64 between Mile Markers 335 and 351.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy
building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM MDT for
northeastern New Mexico.
&&
LAT...LON 3674 10478 3692 10477 3695 10438 3668 10439
TIME...MOT...LOC 2048Z 271DEG 17KT 3681 10444
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
GuyerThe Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 33 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:38 UTC.
5 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter a few miles near Ranchville reported half inch to penny size hail from a brief strong thunderstorm.
A trained spotter in Portair along U.S Highway 60 and 84 just north of Cannon Air Force Base observed quarter size hail from a severe thunderstorm.
Cannon AFB weather reported spotty flooding with 8 to 12 inches depth of water in spots, but no impassable streets.
A peak wind gust of 62 mph was observed at Cannon AFB from nearby thunderstorms.
A public spotter reported quarter size hail from a severe thunderstorm a few miles east of Ute Park.
A cooperative observer near Fenton Lake State Park in the Jemez Mountains observed penny size hail from a strong thunderstorm.
Flash flooding occurred in Las Vegas on Mills Avenue near the state Behavior Health Institute Building.
A public spotter observed nickel size hail near San Ysidro from a strong thunderstorm.
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, July 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: 1179918, 1179920, 1189721, 1180218, 1180219, 1180220, 1180224, 1180221.