A potent disturbance dove southeast from the Pacific Northwest to the central Rockies on November 26th and 27th. This resulted in strong mid and upper level westerly winds to move over New Mexico during this time.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 potent disturbance dove southeast from the Pacific Northwest to the central Rockies on November 26th and 27th. This resulted in strong mid and upper level westerly winds to move over New Mexico during this time. Daytime mixing and mountain wave activity across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and adjacent northeast highlands allowed these stronger winds aloft to move down to the surface with several gusts of 60 to 70 mph observed across these zones. The strongest gusts occurred during the early morning hours of November 27th from strong mountain wave activity. Additionally, the high wind gusts blew down some live pine trees near Rociada during the day on November 26th. Strong west winds tapered off during the mid to late morning hours as a backdoor front pushed south through the area.
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 Nov 26, 5:19 AM MST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 519 AM MST Tue Nov 26 2024 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 456 AM MST Tue Nov 26 2024 - Rain and mainly mountain snow showers mostly over far northern areas Tuesday through Wednesday night with a few to several inches of snow possible in the northern mountains. - Breezy to windy conditions return Tuesday through Wednesday with gusts up to 70 mph along the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and northeast highlands. - Colder, drier, with less wind on Thanksgiving Day. && .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 352 AM MST Tue Nov 26 2024 Snow across the Tusas Mountains today continuing through Wednesday as another system moves across the intermountain West. Rain and mountain snow across northern NM along a cold front Tuesday night into Wednesday. The bigger story will be strong west winds across the northern and central mountains and adjacent east slopes and highlands Tuesday expanding to southern high terrain areas Wednesday. Winds gusts above 50 mph are expected with some high wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph expected across the east slopes of the Sangre De Cristo and nearby highlands Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Colder with clearing skies and light winds Thanksgiving Day. Slow warmup with periods of high clouds and continued light winds Thanksgiving Weekend. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Wednesday) Issued at 352 AM MST Tue Nov 26 2024 An upper level trough will track southeastward across the forecast area today through Wednesday night with snow mainly in the northern mountains, and very strong winds in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, as well as the northeast and east central highlands. With this forecast package we will issue wind highlights for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and northeast highlands southward to the I-40 corridor. A strong speed max in the polar jet stream will sag southward over the forecast area with 700 mb speeds peaking tonight around 70 KT along the east slopes of the Sangres. Flow perpendicular to the ridgeline of the Sangres will result in a strong mountain wave with damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph along the east slopes of the Sangres and onto the northeast highlands. There will also be around 3 to 8 inches of snow on high peaks and west slopes of the Sangres, with blowing snow dropping visibilities near zero at times. The heavier snow is expected at elevations above population centers and highway corridors. The Tusas Mountains will also receive locally over 20 inches of snow, including around 16 inches where Highway 64 crosses the mountains. Blowing and drifting snow may result in some road closures. In addition, up to an inch of snow is expected across the east central highlands, northeast highlands, and northeast plains with a backdoor cold front Wednesday and Wednesday night. After high temperatures a few to around 17 degrees above 1991-2020 averages today, readings will fall on Wednesday a few to around 15 degrees mainly over northern, central and western areas with Pacific and backdoor cold fronts. && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday night through Monday) Issued at 352 AM MST Tue Nov 26 2024 North winds across east central and southeast NM behind Wednesday's backdoor front taper off Thanksgiving morning with a much colder day across the forecast area. Low clouds across eastern and southern areas dissipate from north to south during the course of the morning. Temperatures will be around 5 to 10 degrees below average for many and closer to average across the southwest mountains. A Rex Block looks to develop off the CA coast Thanksgiving Weekend with an upper high off the Pacific NW coast and a weak baggy upper low off the southern CA coast. Meanwhile, New Mexico will be under very dry NW flow on the backside of a deep longwave trough across the eastern 2/3rd of the Continental U.S. The Pacific upper low will bring periods of high level clouds across southern areas Friday and Saturday gradually moving north Sunday into Monday as the upper low becomes more ill defined while moving inland into the desert SW. Temperatures will warm to around average across western and central NM Thanksgiving weekend due to developing shortwave ridging overhead. However, eastern NM will remain around 5 to 10 degrees below average due to a backdoor front on Saturday associated with a shortwave diving southeast across the Great Plains among the aforementioned NW flow. Near to slightly above average temperatures areawide early next week as upper level flow becomes weakly zonal to eventual ridging. && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 456 AM MST Tue Nov 26 2024 An upper level trough approaching from the northwest will steer the jet stream over NM today and tonight. Winds will become gusty in many locations with the strongest gusts over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and adjacent highlands from Raton southward to Clines Corners, including Las Vegas. A mountain wave will develop over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains tonight with 50 KT+ downslope wind gusts favoring the area around Wagon Mound and Las Vegas, but it could potentially extend as far north as Raton. In addition, snow and mountain obscurations will favor the high peaks and high west slopes of the Tusas and Sangre de Cristo Mountains today and tonight, with impacts beginning in Chama and Angel Fire overnight. The wind will blow the snow and produce periods of very low visibility in both locations. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 352 AM MST Tue Nov 26 2024 Critical fire weather conditions are not forecast through at least the next seven days. Strong winds are forecast today, tonight, and Wednesday as an upper level trough crosses from the northwest with Pacific and backdoor cold fronts. Wind gusts up to 70 mph are forecast along the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and across the northeast highlands. A few to over 20 inches of snow are forecast in the northern mountains with the heaviest snow amounts on high peaks and west slopes near the CO border. High temperatures will bottom out on Thanksgiving a few to around 11 degrees below 1991-2020 averages. Temperatures will rebound under dry northwest flow aloft Friday into early next week with dry northwest flow aloft developing. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 55 39 50 21 / 40 60 30 5 Dulce........................... 50 31 47 12 / 70 80 60 10 Cuba............................ 58 36 49 18 / 10 30 40 20 Gallup.......................... 60 35 49 16 / 0 10 50 20 El Morro........................ 57 36 48 22 / 0 5 40 30 Grants.......................... 62 36 51 20 / 0 5 20 20 Quemado......................... 63 39 56 25 / 0 0 20 20 Magdalena....................... 65 44 61 29 / 0 0 0 5 Datil........................... 63 42 56 25 / 0 0 5 5 Reserve......................... 68 34 64 27 / 0 0 5 10 Glenwood........................ 70 44 66 37 / 0 0 0 10 Chama........................... 44 29 41 7 / 70 80 70 10 Los Alamos...................... 55 41 49 25 / 10 20 30 20 Pecos........................... 56 39 50 23 / 5 5 30 30 Cerro/Questa.................... 50 35 43 16 / 20 30 60 30 Red River....................... 42 29 36 10 / 20 30 70 30 Angel Fire...................... 47 29 40 7 / 10 20 50 30 Taos............................ 53 34 46 17 / 10 30 30 20 Mora............................ 57 37 50 18 / 5 10 30 30 Espanola........................ 63 40 56 25 / 10 20 20 20 Santa Fe........................ 55 39 50 25 / 5 10 20 30 Santa Fe Airport................ 59 38 54 25 / 5 10 20 20 Albuquerque Foothills........... 64 47 58 30 / 0 0 5 20 Albuquerque Heights............. 66 44 61 31 / 0 5 0 10 Albuquerque Valley.............. 68 43 64 32 / 5 5 0 10 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 66 44 61 30 / 5 5 5 10 Belen........................... 70 40 66 32 / 0 5 0 5 Bernalillo...................... 67 44 61 29 / 5 5 5 10 Bosque Farms.................... 68 40 63 31 / 0 5 0 10 Corrales........................ 68 44 61 30 / 5 5 5 10 Los Lunas....................... 68 41 64 32 / 0 5 0 5 Placitas........................ 63 45 56 28 / 5 5 10 20 Rio Rancho...................... 66 44 60 29 / 5 5 5 10 Socorro......................... 73 44 71 35 / 0 0 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 57 41 51 25 / 0 0 20 20 Tijeras......................... 60 44 54 27 / 0 0 10 20 Edgewood........................ 60 42 56 24 / 0 0 10 20 Moriarty/Estancia............... 63 39 58 21 / 0 0 0 20 Clines Corners.................. 57 40 53 23 / 0 0 0 20 Mountainair..................... 62 42 59 26 / 0 0 0 20 Gran Quivira.................... 62 39 60 27 / 0 0 0 10 Carrizozo....................... 64 49 64 34 / 0 0 0 10 Ruidoso......................... 60 47 59 31 / 0 0 0 10 Capulin......................... 52 29 37 17 / 0 0 20 30 Raton........................... 60 34 48 18 / 0 5 30 30 Springer........................ 57 36 50 20 / 0 0 20 20 Las Vegas....................... 59 42 52 20 / 0 0 10 20 Clayton......................... 63 36 44 24 / 0 0 10 20 Roy............................. 63 42 52 23 / 0 0 5 20 Conchas......................... 69 48 63 29 / 0 0 0 10 Santa Rosa...................... 68 49 63 29 / 0 0 0 20 Tucumcari....................... 66 46 58 28 / 0 0 0 10 Clovis.......................... 65 46 65 31 / 0 0 0 5 Portales........................ 65 47 69 31 / 0 0 0 5 Fort Sumner..................... 65 44 69 31 / 0 0 0 10 Roswell......................... 71 49 78 39 / 0 0 0 5 Picacho......................... 73 54 72 33 / 0 0 0 0 Elk............................. 72 50 70 31 / 0 0 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST Wednesday for NMZ210. High Wind Warning from 8 AM this morning to 8 AM MST Wednesday for NMZ213>215-227. Wind Advisory from noon today to 8 PM MST this evening for NMZ229. Wind Advisory from noon today to 8 AM MST Wednesday for NMZ223- 233. High Wind Warning from 8 PM this evening to 8 AM MST Wednesday for NMZ228-229. && SHORT TERM...44 LONG TERM....25 AVIATION...44
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Bartley RAWS between Mora and Rociada observed high wind gusts up to 59 mph. Additionally, these high wind gusts blew down a few live pine trees near Rociada.
The mesonet station a few miles southeast of Vaughn observed high wind gusts up to 61 mph.
Raton Crews Municipal Airport observed high wind gusts up to 74 mph. Additionally, peak sustained winds of 45 mph were observed at the site during this time.
Las Vegas Municipal Airport observed high wind gusts up to 61 mph. Additionally, peak sustained winds of 45 mph were observed at the site during this time.
A weather station on Kachina Peak in Taos Ski Valley observed high wind gusts up to 60 mph.
The mesonet station southeast of Vaughn observed high wind gusts up to 64 mph. Additionally, peak sustained winds of 45 mph were observed at the site during this time.
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, November 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: 1218813, 1218816, 1218814, 1218815, 1218812, 1218817.