The combination of very dry antecedent ground conditions and very dry and strong southwesterly flow ahead of a closed upper low over the Great Basin region brought widespread high wind gusts and blowing dust across mainly central and eastern NM during the afternoon and early evening of April 27th. Peak wind gusts of 58 to 80 mph were observed across the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 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.
The combination of very dry antecedent ground conditions and very dry and strong southwesterly flow ahead of a closed upper low over the Great Basin region brought widespread high wind gusts and blowing dust across mainly central and eastern NM during the afternoon and early evening of April 27th. Peak wind gusts of 58 to 80 mph were observed across the area. Blowing dust causing near zero visibility resulted in the closure of the Roswell Relief Route, as well as the closure of NM Highway 2 at Hagerman, NM. The high winds and low humidity resulted in extreme critical fire weather conditions. Unfortunately two fires broke out, the Otero and Balsam Fires near Socorro and Grants, NM respectively. The Balsam Fire destroyed 6 structures and 8 outbuildings. Conditions improved during the evening as winds began to subside.
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 27, 10:11 AM MST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1111 AM MDT Sun Apr 27 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1107 AM MDT Sun Apr 27 2025 - Critical to extreme fire weather today will increase the risk of rapid fire spread across much of northern, central, and western NM. Any fires that will develop will be hard to control. - Strong southwest winds today will create widespread blowing dust with low visibility, hazardous travel, and worsening air quality. Damage may occur to tree limbs, power lines, and light weight objects across central and eastern New Mexico. - Unsettled weather will continue by the middle to latter half of next week with increasing chances for showers and storms, cooler temperatures, and perhaps some higher mountain snow across northern NM. && .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 303 AM MDT Sun Apr 27 2025 Drier conditions and strong winds throughout the state will lead to widespread critical fire weather for most areas outside of the eastern plains. During the afternoon, strong winds could create damaging gusts, blowing dust, and rapid fire spread. A storm system in the middle of the week will bring increased precipitation chances for northern and eastern areas and a backdoor front through northeast New Mexico. At the end of the week, another backdoor front will push through into central New Mexico. The return of moist southerly flow looks to bring back chances for thunderstorms for the eastern plains next weekend. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Monday) Issued at 303 AM MDT Sun Apr 27 2025 There were only minor changes to the ongoing forecast for strong winds and high fire danger today. Low clouds, patchy fog, and very light showers over eastern NM early this morning will clear from west to east thru mid morning as winds veer around to the south and southwest. An unseasonably deep H5 low over SoCal will spread much stronger southwest flow aloft over NM. 700-500mb layer winds will increase to between 50 and 60kt directly over central NM while a potent dry slot moves overhead. Forecast confidence is high that southwest winds will increase thru late morning with peak gusts from 55 to 65 mph along and east of the Continental Divide. The highest wind gusts will impact the area between Socorro, Ruidoso, and Vaughn where peak gusts may reach 70 mph. Widespread blowing dust is likely again given these winds will occur with very deep mixing, temps in the 80s, humidity near 5%, and very dry soils (NASA SPoRT LIS). A dry Pacific cold front will move thru the area this evening with decreasing westerly winds overnight. Low temps will be chilly behind the front with subfreezing lows for northern and western NM Monday morning. Areas from near Santa Fe to ABQ and Socorro will see lows in the 30s and 40s. West-southwest winds will increase again late Monday morning with gusts of 25 to 35 mph common across the region. It will be very dry again with humidity falling to near 10% in many areas. The highest fire danger will be relegated to the I-25 corridor from near Raton to Las Vegas. High temps will actually be below normal for much of northern and western NM. && .LONG TERM... (Monday night through Saturday) Issued at 303 AM MDT Sun Apr 27 2025 A positively tilted trough will continue its journey eastward through the intermountain west on Tuesday. A backdoor cold front will begin to make its way through northeast New Mexico on Monday night and push into to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains by Tuesday morning. Confidence is still low on whether the front will make it through the gaps of the central mountain chain, with guidance indicating that Santa Fe is more likely to see a stronger easterly wind shift than Albuquerque. Diurnal heating looks to mix down stronger southwesterly flow aloft and limit the southward and westward progression of the backdoor cold front. With a 100 kt upper level jet overhead and 30 kt 700 mb winds, conditions look to get breezy to gusty during the afternoon, particularly for areas around the southern mountains. The digging trough will introduce increased moisture and forcing, leading to the development of a few storms ahead of the cold front and along the northern mountains, potentially creating some snowfall for the peaks. Deeper moisture and greater instability in southeastern areas could once again lead to another round of thunderstorms and locally heavy rainfall for parts of the eastern plains. Drier conditions expected for Wednesday as the trough axis crosses New Mexico and the Pacific front pushes through the state. Moisture will be limited to northern and eastern areas, with chances for rain and high elevation snow for the northern mountains. As this system exits the region, it will usher in a backdoor cold front through eastern New Mexico, increasing chances for rain and pushing breezy easterly winds through the gaps of the central mountain chain by Friday morning. The upper level pattern will then shift to a more weak zonal flow, allowing for the return of moisture-rich, Gulf southerly flow at the surface for the eastern plains. Once again, afternoon dryline thunderstorms will be a threat for both Friday and Saturday afternoons. Attention then turns to a deepening Pacific low that looks to bring a significant change to the weather for next week. Details are still fuzzy for a system this far into the future, but ensembles are in pretty good agreement for anomalously deep troughing to bring cooler temperatures and increased precipitation. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1107 AM MDT Sun Apr 27 2025 Any IFR/MFVR ceilings have lifted over E NM this morning. Now it becomes monitoring winds for increases. Winds have already gusted to over 40kts at KLVS. Given another couple of hours winds should be quite strong with a few gusts getting up to 40-50kts for KABQ, KAEG, KSAF, KLVS. Blowing dust could be another issue reducing visibility. Winds will be slow to decrease tonight with more winds expected tomorrow but not as strong. KLVS might be the lone exception there. 39 && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 303 AM MDT Sun Apr 27 2025 Very dry and breezy conditions the past two days will lead into extreme fire weather today with much stronger southwest winds and more single digit humidity across central NM. Confidence is very high for widespread critical to extreme fire weather. The latest HREF combined probabilities for wind speed >20 mph and min RH <15% is 100% for nearly the entire area along and east of the Cont Divide with min RH <10% above 90% for the Rio Grande Valley and nearby high terrain. The combination of single digit humidity with peak wind gusts up to 65 mph and ERC values above the 90th percentile will allow for rapid fire spread. Any fires that develop will be hard to control. Much of eastern NM will see critical conditions however recent rainfall and greenup trends from satellite-derived imagery are likely to mitigate fire spread. A strong Pacific cold front will move through the region by late this afternoon and shift winds out of the west. Very dry air in the wake of the front will maintain poor to fair recoveries tonight in many areas. West winds will be strong again Monday but mainly across northeast NM from near Raton to Las Vegas. The I-25 corridor was excluded from the bulk of the rainfall the past 2 days so a Fire Weather Watch has been issued given the duration of critical conditions expected. The rest of this week will feature cooler temps, relatively light winds, higher humidity, more cloud cover, and increasing chances for showers and storms, especially across northern and eastern NM. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 70 35 64 34 / 5 5 0 0 Dulce........................... 70 28 60 26 / 10 5 0 0 Cuba............................ 72 30 63 33 / 0 0 0 0 Gallup.......................... 66 25 63 25 / 0 0 0 0 El Morro........................ 66 27 61 31 / 0 0 0 0 Grants.......................... 72 27 66 26 / 0 0 0 0 Quemado......................... 67 28 66 29 / 0 0 0 0 Magdalena....................... 74 36 70 39 / 0 0 0 0 Datil........................... 68 30 66 32 / 0 0 0 0 Reserve......................... 71 28 70 26 / 0 0 0 0 Glenwood........................ 77 34 73 33 / 0 0 0 0 Chama........................... 64 25 55 28 / 10 5 0 0 Los Alamos...................... 70 35 62 41 / 0 0 0 0 Pecos........................... 72 34 63 38 / 0 0 0 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 68 29 60 33 / 0 0 0 0 Red River....................... 64 25 53 26 / 0 0 0 0 Angel Fire...................... 65 27 56 16 / 0 0 0 0 Taos............................ 71 30 63 29 / 0 0 0 0 Mora............................ 70 32 62 33 / 0 0 0 0 Espanola........................ 78 36 70 36 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Fe........................ 73 33 62 40 / 0 0 0 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 77 35 66 36 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 78 40 69 46 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 80 42 71 42 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 82 41 73 38 / 0 0 0 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 81 41 72 43 / 0 0 0 0 Belen........................... 83 39 75 38 / 0 0 0 0 Bernalillo...................... 82 41 72 41 / 0 0 0 0 Bosque Farms.................... 82 39 73 37 / 0 0 0 0 Corrales........................ 82 41 72 42 / 0 0 0 0 Los Lunas....................... 82 40 74 39 / 0 0 0 0 Placitas........................ 78 39 68 43 / 0 0 0 0 Rio Rancho...................... 81 41 71 44 / 0 0 0 0 Socorro......................... 84 42 79 42 / 0 0 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 72 35 64 40 / 0 0 0 0 Tijeras......................... 75 38 66 41 / 0 0 0 0 Edgewood........................ 75 35 66 36 / 0 0 0 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 76 34 68 31 / 0 0 0 0 Clines Corners.................. 71 34 63 36 / 0 0 0 0 Mountainair..................... 74 36 68 37 / 0 0 0 0 Gran Quivira.................... 74 38 68 37 / 0 0 0 0 Carrizozo....................... 79 45 73 43 / 0 0 0 0 Ruidoso......................... 73 45 67 42 / 0 0 0 0 Capulin......................... 71 36 65 32 / 0 0 0 0 Raton........................... 76 34 69 33 / 0 0 0 0 Springer........................ 77 36 71 34 / 0 0 0 0 Las Vegas....................... 73 35 65 34 / 0 0 0 0 Clayton......................... 78 45 73 41 / 0 0 0 0 Roy............................. 76 39 69 38 / 0 0 0 0 Conchas......................... 84 46 77 42 / 10 0 0 0 Santa Rosa...................... 81 44 74 41 / 0 0 0 0 Tucumcari....................... 85 47 77 43 / 5 0 0 0 Clovis.......................... 87 51 80 49 / 5 10 0 10 Portales........................ 88 51 82 48 / 5 10 0 10 Fort Sumner..................... 86 47 79 44 / 5 0 0 0 Roswell......................... 94 53 87 51 / 5 0 0 0 Picacho......................... 86 49 79 44 / 0 0 0 0 Elk............................. 83 48 76 42 / 0 0 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for NMZ101-105-106- 109-120>125. Wind Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ207-208-211- 216>218-230>233-238-241. High Wind Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ212>215- 219>229-239-240. Fire Weather Watch Monday afternoon for NMZ123. && SHORT TERM...39 LONG TERM....25 AVIATION...39 Please note: The SYNOPSIS section will be terminated by the end of April.
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
1119 AM MDT Sun Apr 27 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0735 PM Hail 5 E Puerto De Luna 34.82N 104.54W
04/26/2025 E1.00 Inch Guadalupe NM Trained Spotter
&&
CGThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 high wind, 2 wildfire, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Sierra Blanca Regional Airport measured peak wind gusts of 78 mph and peak sustained winds of 56 mph. Additionally, a mesonet station Nogal measured a 59 mph wind gust and a public station near Carrizozo measured a 58 mph wind gust.
Near zero visibility from blowing dust resulted in the closure of the Roswell Relief Route on the southwest side of Roswell and the closure of State Highway 2 from mile marker 17, Hagerman to mile marker 21, 1 mile north of Greenfield.
The Dunken RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph.
The Little Burro mesonet on White Sands Missile Range measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
The Roswell Air Center measured a peak wind gust of 68 mph.
The NM DOT station on I-25 at Raton Pass measured peak wind gusts of 60 mph.
Raton Crews Municipal Airport measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
A public weather station in Estancia measured a 59 mph wind gust.
The Clines Corners ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph.
The Otero Wildfire was discovered in the late afternoon of April 27th just east of Socorro in the bosque along the Rio Grande River. As of April 29th, it had burned 405 acres, threatening no structures.
A weather station at Kachina Peak in Taos Ski Valley measured peak wind gusts of 81 mph.
A public weather station at Placitas measured a 59 mph wind gust. Additionally, a public weather station 8 miles southwest of Cedro measured a 58 mph wind gust.
The Stallion Wit and Zumwalt Track mesonet stations on White Sands Missile Range measured peak wind gusts of 60 mph. Additionally, the Sevilleta RAWS measured a 59 mph wind gust.
The Balsam Wildfire was discovered during a very dry and critical fire weather event on the evening of April 27th, in Grants, NM. Fire crews were able to keep the fire to just 3 to 5 acres, but it unfortunately burned through a residential area. The Grants Fire Chief reported 7 structures were impacted with 2 firemen injured. Damage is an estimate.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2025
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: 1238922, 1238933, 1238929, 1238920, 1238928, 1238924, 1238926, 1238917, 1238918, 1238904, 1238911, 1238912, 1238914, 1238905.