A deep upper level trough moved from the Great Basin into the central Rockies on May 18th. Strong mid to upper level winds at the base of the trough moved over New Mexico during this time.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 deep upper level trough moved from the Great Basin into the central Rockies on May 18th. Strong mid to upper level winds at the base of the trough moved over New Mexico during this time. Deep daytime mixing along with the development of a 992 mb surface low over eastern Colorado resulted in gusty southwest to west winds across much of the state. Brief high wind gusts were observed at a few sites across the central and northeast highlands during the early to mid afternoon hours. Southwest to west winds tapered off across the region at around sunset.
Key Words: High Wind Gusts.
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 May 18, 10:32 AM MST, 2 hours 28 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1132 AM MDT Sun May 18 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1128 AM MDT Sun May 18 2025 - Strong winds and dry fuels will lead to critical fire weather today and Monday, leading to an increased risk of rapid fire spread. Winds will be strongest today and Monday when gusts of 35 to 50 mph will be common, particularly for areas along the central mountain chain and adjacent highlands. - Scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms will develop over northwestern to northern New Mexico today and Monday with strong, erratic downburst wind gusts possible in the afternoon and early evening hours. - Temperatures will begin climbing through late week, with highs reaching the upper 80s to mid 90s Friday and Saturday across the state. The risk for heat-related illnesses may increase over Chaves County Friday and Saturday where highs approach 100. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Monday) Issued at 322 AM MDT Sun May 18 2025 The base of the approaching longwave trough has moved into AZ and will continue its trek west/northwestward into western NM by the afternoon. Strong southwest winds will develop across central and eastern NM in response to a deepening lee-side Low in southeast CO. The strongest winds will focus in the typical windy areas such as the central and northeast highlands. Sustained winds will generally be in the 25 to 35 mph range, but a few gusts upwards of 60 mph cannot be ruled out during peak daytime mixing. The Wind Advisory was expanded to include a few more zones, including Chaves County where blowing dust may impact the south side of Roswell during the afternoon. Smoke from fires in southern NM may also get advected into the area during the late afternoon and evening hours, however that will depend on those fires growing rapidly today. Precip chances will focus in the northwest where humidities will be higher, but the rain will still struggle to reach the ground given the dry boundary layer. The bigger hazard will be gusty outflow winds, with the Gallup to Farmington area being the favored area for these strong winds. A decaying front will push through western and eventually central NM in the afternoon and evening hours, gradually shifting southwest winds around to the northwest. A second trough will then approach the area from the northwest on Monday, bringing another round of strong winds which will be more westerly across much of the area, with the strongest winds focusing over the central and south-central highlands. Winds won't be quite as strong as today, however increased mid-level moisture will lead to the development of scattered high based convection in western and central NM. DCAPE in the 300-600J/kg range suggests the potential for strong winds (35 to 45 mph) at the sfc with any showers that develop. There could be a few rumbles of thunder as well, with far northern NM being the most likely area since dry air entrainment won't be as much of a hindrance as areas further south. A stronger Pacific front will move through Monday, turning winds around to the northwest and ushering in well-below average (10 to 20 degrees) temperatures. && .LONG TERM... (Monday night through Saturday) Issued at 322 AM MDT Sun May 18 2025 The final upper wave in the latest series will be exiting northeast NM Monday night. Much cooler air will settle into the region in the wake of a strong Pacific cold front. Strong surface high pressure and very dry air with clearing skies will lead to very efficient radiational cooling. Northern and western valleys will cool into the 20s with widespread 30s and 40s elsewhere. The average last spring freeze date has passed for growing zones and there is potential for subfreezing lows around Taos, Moriarty, Raton, Las Vegas, Grants and Gallup. The NBM has the greatest chances (>80%) of temps falling below 32F at Taos and Gallup with lower chances (30-50%) at the other sites listed. The remainder of this week will feature a strong warming trend as northwest flow Tuesday becomes more zonal Wednesday/Thursday then gradually southwesterly Friday as ridging strengthens over northern MX. Heat risk will gradually increase over the region with the first 90s for the ABQ metro southward Friday and perhaps the first 100s for Chaves County. The NBM indicates the hottest day in Roswell as Saturday with probability >99F near 15%. Low level moisture will begin sloshing over far eastern NM and deepen each morning thru the end of the week. A couple storms may develop over far northeast NM and west TX Thursday which forces low level moisture westward toward the central mt chain Friday morning. The GFS is the most bullish with moisture surging into eastern NM with potential for strong canyon winds in the Rio Grande Valley. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1128 AM MDT Sun May 18 2025 Broken ceilings and showers are reaching far northwestern NM, including KFMN this hour. Isolated visibility dropping to MVFR has been observed at KFMN but will be short-lived in this area of the state through the afternoon and evening hours. Elsewhere, southwest winds have already increased in speeds this past hour with widespread gusts of 35 to 40 kts observed. Peak gusts of 40 to 50 kts will be observed in some spots along the highlands from KSRR to KLVS to KRTN this afternoon before winds diminish between 00Z to 03Z. Blowing dust will also be a concern at KROW and have maintained a TEMPO there for MVFR visibility resulting from this. While winds at the surface are forecast to diminish this evening and overnight, LLWS will remain along and just east of the Sangre de Cristo Mts. Have included a mention of this at KLVS until surface winds begin picking back up again b/w 12Z to 16Z Monday morning. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 322 AM MDT Sun May 18 2025 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER PERSISTS THROUGH MONDAY... Critical fire weather conditions are expected again today from the southwest mountains to the central highlands. Humidities will decrease from north to south and the southern portion of the Middle Rio Grande Valley could experience up to 10 hours of single digit relative humidity today. As of 3AM, many of the stations in the area are just over 10% today and will struggle to get over 15% by the early morning. Critical fire weather conditions are likely in the eastern and northeast plains this afternoon as well, however fuels are likely not primed to carry fire due to the recent green up. That being said, wind-driven fires in fine fuels cannot be ruled out if there are any fire starts today. A pacific front will move across the state today, increasing moisture slightly. Overnight recoveries will be better than today, but deep mixing Monday afternoon will once again dry out the boundary layer. These dry conditions combined with strong west winds may result in another round of critical fire weather conditions in south-central and southwestern NM on Monday afternoon so a Fire Weather Watch was issued for these areas. Humidities are marginal for critical conditions and that will be the determining factor when deciding whether or not to upgrade in subsequent shifts. Gusty showers and even a few storms will focus in areas along and north of I-40 on Monday, however wetting rainfall is unlikely for most locations. Warmer and less windy weather is forecast for Tuesday through the end of the workweek, limiting fire danger. Precipitation chances may increase this weekend in eastern NM thanks to a Gulf moisture surge. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 65 40 62 35 / 50 30 20 0 Dulce........................... 59 32 58 23 / 40 30 30 0 Cuba............................ 63 36 58 30 / 10 10 30 0 Gallup.......................... 64 35 61 24 / 10 10 30 0 El Morro........................ 61 36 58 28 / 0 10 40 0 Grants.......................... 67 36 62 27 / 0 5 30 0 Quemado......................... 66 39 64 30 / 0 0 20 0 Magdalena....................... 72 42 68 38 / 0 0 20 0 Datil........................... 68 38 64 32 / 0 0 20 0 Reserve......................... 71 37 74 31 / 0 0 10 0 Glenwood........................ 76 42 78 38 / 0 0 5 0 Chama........................... 53 30 52 24 / 40 30 50 0 Los Alamos...................... 64 41 58 36 / 5 5 30 0 Pecos........................... 66 39 59 35 / 0 0 20 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 60 34 56 30 / 5 5 30 0 Red River....................... 51 30 47 24 / 5 10 40 5 Angel Fire...................... 57 31 53 24 / 0 5 30 0 Taos............................ 64 33 60 26 / 5 5 20 0 Mora............................ 63 38 58 31 / 0 0 30 0 Espanola........................ 71 41 66 36 / 5 5 20 0 Santa Fe........................ 66 40 60 34 / 0 0 30 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 70 40 64 36 / 0 0 20 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 73 47 66 41 / 0 0 20 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 76 47 69 41 / 0 0 20 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 77 46 71 40 / 0 0 20 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 75 46 69 41 / 0 0 20 0 Belen........................... 80 46 74 38 / 0 0 10 0 Bernalillo...................... 75 46 70 41 / 0 0 20 0 Bosque Farms.................... 78 45 72 37 / 0 0 20 0 Corrales........................ 76 46 70 41 / 0 0 20 0 Los Lunas....................... 78 46 72 38 / 0 0 20 0 Placitas........................ 72 45 65 40 / 0 0 20 0 Rio Rancho...................... 75 46 69 41 / 0 0 20 0 Socorro......................... 83 48 79 44 / 0 0 10 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 68 41 60 36 / 0 0 20 0 Tijeras......................... 70 42 63 37 / 0 0 20 0 Edgewood........................ 71 41 63 35 / 0 0 20 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 73 40 65 33 / 0 0 20 0 Clines Corners.................. 69 40 60 34 / 0 0 10 0 Mountainair..................... 72 41 65 36 / 0 0 10 0 Gran Quivira.................... 73 42 67 36 / 0 0 10 0 Carrizozo....................... 76 48 74 43 / 0 0 5 0 Ruidoso......................... 68 45 66 41 / 0 0 5 0 Capulin......................... 69 39 61 33 / 0 0 30 10 Raton........................... 72 39 66 33 / 0 0 30 5 Springer........................ 73 40 66 35 / 0 0 20 0 Las Vegas....................... 69 40 62 33 / 0 0 10 0 Clayton......................... 79 47 72 42 / 0 0 30 20 Roy............................. 73 43 67 37 / 0 0 20 0 Conchas......................... 83 49 74 43 / 0 0 10 0 Santa Rosa...................... 79 48 70 42 / 0 0 10 0 Tucumcari....................... 84 51 77 44 / 0 0 10 0 Clovis.......................... 86 51 78 47 / 0 0 0 0 Portales........................ 88 51 79 46 / 0 0 0 0 Fort Sumner..................... 85 50 77 45 / 0 0 0 0 Roswell......................... 92 55 85 52 / 0 0 0 0 Picacho......................... 81 49 77 47 / 0 0 0 0 Elk............................. 78 49 75 44 / 0 0 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ223-225>233- 238>240. Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for NMZ106-109-124- 125. Fire Weather Watch from Monday afternoon through Monday evening for NMZ106-109. && SHORT TERM...16 LONG TERM....42 AVIATION...24
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
124 PM MDT Sun May 18 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0115 PM High Sust Winds 2 S Fort Stanton 33.47N 105.52W
05/18/2025 M40 MPH Lincoln NM AWOS
AWOS station KSRR Sierra Blanca Rgnl Arpt.
&&
ANMPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
133 PM MDT Sun May 18 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1245 PM High Sust Winds 11 SE Vaughn 34.48N 105.08W
05/18/2025 M40 MPH Guadalupe NM Mesonet
Mesonet station SVAN5 SE Vaughn.
&&
ANMPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
149 PM MDT Sun May 18 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0136 PM High Sust Winds 1 NE Dunken 32.82N 105.18W
05/18/2025 M40 MPH Chaves NM Mesonet
Mesonet station DUNN5 Dunken 2 NE (Dunken).
&&
ANMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The ASOS at Las Vegas Municipal Airport measured a 66 mph and 71 mph wind gust.
The Clines Corners ASOS measured a brief wind gust of 58 mph.
A public station along the Union Pacific Railroad east of Vaughn measured a brief wind gust of 60 mph.
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, May 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: 1245473, 1245472, 1245474.