New Mexico, 2025

Dust Storm in New Mexico, February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025 · NWS EPZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A broad upper trough was moving out of the Great Basin and into the Four Corners region. Ahead of this trough, strong southwest winds picked up across Luna county with gusts over 50 mph reported resulting in numerous road closures.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS EPZ wrote it up.

A broad upper trough was moving out of the Great Basin and into the Four Corners region. Ahead of this trough, strong southwest winds picked up across Luna county with gusts over 50 mph reported resulting in numerous road closures.

What forecasters said that day

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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 11, 2:00 PM MST, 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 2:00 PM MST, 22 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Dust Storm, Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin

When
February 11, 2:22 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
32.460, -108.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds gusted up to 55 mph at the Deming airport resulting in widespread blowing dust across Luna county. The NMDOT needed to close Interstate 10 east of Deming due to the visibilities dropping to near zero. In addition to the interstate closure, Highway 11 south of Deming was closed also due to limited visibility.

What these are

Dust Storm
Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, February 2025

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1233403.