Dust Storm and High Wind in New Mexico, March 6, 2025

Name: Dust Storm and High Wind in New Mexico, March 6, 2025
Start: 2025-03-06T12:55
End: 2025-03-06T21:35
Location: New Mexico

March 6, 2025 · NWS ABQ · 17 events in 15 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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 ABQ wrote it up.

A deep upper trough developed over the Great Basin during the day on March 6th with strong mid and upper-level winds ahead of this low and over New Mexico. The upper low also induced the development of a strong 989 mb surface lee low over southeast Colorado by the afternoon. The surface gradient south of this low along with deep daytime mixing resulted in high wind gusts of 60 to 75 mph across central and eastern New Mexico from midday through the evening hours. These strong southwest to west winds combined with the dry soil conditions resulted in blowing dust resulting in near zero visibility in Albuquerque and Roswell. High winds tapered off around sunset for most areas and around midnight across the northeast highlands.

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 Albuquerque, NM wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 6, 11:30 AM MST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 6, 11:30 AM MST, 1 hour 25 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

15 high wind, 2 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Guadalupe County

When: March 6, 12:55 PM MST to 5:50 PM MST
Where: Guadalupe County forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 34.863, -104.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The mesonet station southeast of Vaughn measured a peak gust of 64 mph, as well as high sustained wind speeds of 48 mph.

High Wind, South Central Highlands

When: March 6, 1:10 PM MST to 3:10 PM MST
Where: South Central Highlands forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 34.277, -106.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Little Burro White Sands Missile Range station measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph.

High Wind, Upper Tularosa Valley

When: March 6, 1:50 PM MST to 2:30 PM MST
Where: Upper Tularosa Valley forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 33.876, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Oscura Range Camp and Phillips Hill White Sands Missile Range stations measured a peak wind gusts of 65 mph.

High Wind, Northeast Highlands

When: March 6, 1:53 PM MST to 3:55 PM MST
Where: Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.480, -104.816 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Las Vegas Airport ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph, as well as a high sustained wind speed of 45 mph.

High Wind, Sandia/Manzano Mountains Including Edgewood

When: March 6, 2:05 PM MST to 2:55 PM MST
Where: Sandia/Manzano Mountains Including Edgewood forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.121, -106.434 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Edgewood mesonet station measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.

High Wind, Santa Fe Metro Area

When: March 6, 2:25 PM MST to 4:45 PM MST
Where: Santa Fe Metro Area forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.416, -106.504 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Santa Fe Airport ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 64 mph.

Dust Storm, Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area

When: March 6, 2:33 PM MST to 2:55 PM MST
Where: Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 35.002, -106.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

NWS meteorologists observed low visibility under a quarter statute mile at the forecast office and the Albuquerque Sunport resulting from blowing dust.

High Wind, Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area

When: March 6, 2:35 PM MST to 2:45 PM MST
Where: Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.002, -106.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Albuquerque Airport ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph.

High Wind, Far Northeast Highlands

When: March 6, 2:40 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where: Far Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Measured: 36 kt (41 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 36.308, -104.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Raton Airport ASOS measured a high sustained wind speed of 41 mph.

High Wind, Glorieta Mesa Including Glorieta Pass

When: March 6, 2:45 PM MST to 4:15 PM MST
Where: Glorieta Mesa Including Glorieta Pass forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.494, -105.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A Santa Fe CWOP station measured a 63 mph wind gust, while the NM DOT weather station near Rowe, NM measured a 61 mph wind gust.

High Wind, West Central Plateau

When: March 6, 2:53 PM MST to 2:55 PM MST
Where: West Central Plateau forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 34.803, -108.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Gallup Airport ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 64 mph.

High Wind, Central Highlands

When: March 6, 2:53 PM MST to 4:53 PM MST
Where: Central Highlands forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.209, -105.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Clines Corners ASOS station measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph.

High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When: March 6, 3:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 68 kt (78 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.592, -105.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Taos Ski Valley Kachina Peak station saw a peak gust of 78 mph, while their Highline Ridge station also saw a gust to 60 mph.

High Wind, Estancia Valley

When: March 6, 3:51 PM MST to 3:55 PM MST
Where: Estancia Valley forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 35.066, -106.166 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Estancia mesonet station measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.

High Wind, Eastern San Miguel County

When: March 6, 4:13 PM MST to 5:13 PM MST
Where: Eastern San Miguel County forecast zone
Measured: 41 kt (47 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.480, -104.816 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Cedar Drive NMCONCH1 public weather station measured a high sustained wind speed of 47 mph.

Dust Storm, Chaves County Plains

When: March 6, 6:15 PM MST to 6:55 PM MST
Where: Chaves County Plains forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 33.363, -104.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A photo shared on social media showed a plane landing in a near zero visibility brownout conditions at the Roswell Airport.

High Wind, Far Northeast Highlands

When: March 6, 9:34 PM MST to 9:35 PM MST
Where: Far Northeast Highlands forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 36.308, -104.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Raton Airport ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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

Every storm in New Mexico in 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, March 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: 1233462, 1233456, 1233457, 1233460, 1233453, 1233451, 1233463, 1233452, 1233458, 1233449, 1233448, 1233455, 1233450, 1233454, 1233461, 1233464, 1233459.