April saw below to well below normal precipitation across a majority of New Mexico, with the exception of a small area of the northwestern mountains. The average temperature anomaly was also generally 1 to 5 degrees above normal over nearly all of the state.
Every event with a place to put it; 26 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.
April saw below to well below normal precipitation across a majority of New Mexico, with the exception of a small area of the northwestern mountains. The average temperature anomaly was also generally 1 to 5 degrees above normal over nearly all of the state. This led to a notable expansion of extreme drought conditions over northeastern NM, and severe drought conditions over the eastern plains. While western areas saw below normal precipitation, the actual difference from normal was still low given April is climatologically a very dry month already. This allowed for little to no change in drought conditions over this portion of the state.
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 31, 10:52 PM MST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1152 PM MDT Tue Mar 31 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1137 PM MDT Tue Mar 31 2026 - Accumulating rainfall will result in ponding of water on roads with a risk of hydroplaning in the mountains, and mainly at lower elevations near the Arizona and Colorado borders tonight through Wednesday. Snow covered and icy roads are also forecast on northern mountain passes over 9000 feet. - Strong west winds Wednesday through Friday will create hazardous crosswinds for high profile vehicles, especially over eastern New Mexico. - Critical fire weather conditions will increase the risk of rapid fire spread east of the central mountain chain Thursday and Friday. - Isolated to widely scattered and gusty virga showers and mainly dry thunderstorms early next week will increase the risk of new fire starts. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Wednesday night) Issued at 113 PM MDT Tue Mar 31 2026 Rain showers and high terrain snow showers will increase in coverage tonight, then spread onto the eastern plains as well Wednesday morning as an upper level trough passes eastward over the central and southern Rockies. After peaking in coverage Wednesday morning, precip will decrease in coverage during the afternoon as skies gradually clear from the west. Liquid and liquid equivalent precip amounts should generally reach around a quarter to a half inch in the mountains and at lower elevations of northwest and north central NM, with lighter amounts at lower elevations further south, and over an inch in the Tusas Mountains. Several inches of snow are forecast above 9000 feet in the Tusas Mountains and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with a few inches near and above 9000 feet in the Jemez and Chuska Mountains. There will be thunderstorms in the mix on Wednesday, mostly along and north of I-40. Stronger cells will be capable of localized, brief, and erratic wind gusts up to 50 mph. Strong southwest winds are also forecast to gust up to 50 mph across northeast and east central areas on Wednesday afternoon until sunset, and also along the east slopes of the Sacramento and Guadalupe Mountains. The night shift may issue a Wind Advisory for Wednesday, but the day shift held off due to model differences on when the clouds and precip will exit the eastern plains Wednesday afternoon. If it stays too cloudy too long, there probably won't be enough vertical mixing in the atmosphere for wind gusts to reach 50 mph over a broad enough area or for a long enough period of time to warrant a Wind Advisory Wednesday. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday through Monday) Issued at 113 PM MDT Tue Mar 31 2026 As the aforementioned upper level trough exits eastward on Wednesday night, an upper level low pressure system will move into the western US keeping the flow aloft strong over NM for Thursday and Friday. A ~990 mb surface low will also develop in eastern CO on Friday, helping to produce southwest wind gusts from 25 to 35 mph across the forecast area, except up to 45 mph across the northeast. Humidities will also plummet in the downslope flow on Thursday with fire weather concerns east of the central mountain chain. The wind direction will shift out of the northwest by Friday morning as the upper low shifts eastward onto the upper Great Plains, then gusts from 25-40 mph will probably return to much of the forecast area in the afternoon. Humidities will drop near 10 percent across much of the forecast area on Friday, when fire weather concerns look to linger east of the central mountain chain while spreading to the northwest plateau. After highs a few to around 11 degrees above average on Thursday, readings will fall a few to several degrees on Friday. Highs Friday afternoon should only reach the 50s across the northwest plateau, mitigating the fire weather threat there somewhat. In the wake of a backdoor cold front Friday night, temperatures will fall near to as much as 9 degrees below average across the forecast area on Saturday. A ridge of high pressure will also build over the southwest US this weekend enabling high temperatures to trend warmer early in the coming week. However, some models depict a rich return flow of low level moisture, and a disturbance undercutting the ridge that could work with this moisture to spread the chance for gusty and very light showers and thunderstorms mainly to central and western parts of the forecast area Sunday and Monday. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1137 PM MDT Tue Mar 31 2026 A moist storm system crossing the airspace the next 24 hrs will create various impacts to aviation, including; icing, turbulence, LLWS, rain, isolated storms, areas of MVFR, and mt obscurations. Top-down moistening will allow cigs to lower overnight with the first wave of light rain and very high terrain snow developing now along and west of the central mt chain. The highest chance for MVFR and lcl IFR thru sunrise will be over northwest NM. A lull is expected Wednesday morning followed by a second wave of rain and isolated storms as a Pacific cold front moves east across the region Wednesday afternoon. Mt obscurations will continue with periods of MVFR cigs/vsbys from more persistent rain along and west of the central mt chain. West winds will become strong as well with gusts of 35-45KT expected over eastern NM Wednesday afternoon. There is a 10-20% chance of wind gusts >35KT at KABQ between 1pm and 5pm. Partial clearing will occur from west to east after sunset with decreasing winds most areas. The east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mts will remain windy as mt wave action amplifies and creates downslope wind gusts up to 45KT Wednesday night. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 113 PM MDT Tue Mar 31 2026 With sunset this evening the gusty virga showers and isolated dry thunderstorms currently occurring along and west of the central mountain chain will transition to wetter variety precip. There is a good chance for strong winds east of the central mountain chain late on Wednesday afternoon, but humidities should only bottom out around 18-28 percent. Humidities will bottom out around 10 percent across the east on Thursday, and across most central and western locations as well on Friday, when breezy to windy conditions will redevelop with more significant fire weather concerns mainly across the east. There will be a risk of isolated to widely scattered and gusty virga showers and dry thunderstorms Sunday and Monday mainly along and west of the central mountain chain. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 47 63 36 70 / 80 80 10 0 Dulce........................... 36 55 27 64 / 90 90 50 10 Cuba............................ 41 57 32 67 / 80 70 10 5 Gallup.......................... 44 59 30 68 / 60 90 0 0 El Morro........................ 45 56 33 66 / 30 90 0 0 Grants.......................... 45 61 32 70 / 30 60 0 0 Quemado......................... 44 59 33 70 / 40 60 0 0 Magdalena....................... 50 63 38 73 / 20 30 0 0 Datil........................... 46 58 34 68 / 30 40 0 0 Reserve......................... 39 63 29 72 / 40 70 0 0 Glenwood........................ 44 68 34 76 / 30 70 5 0 Chama........................... 34 48 27 56 / 90 90 70 10 Los Alamos...................... 47 55 39 65 / 80 80 20 5 Pecos........................... 42 57 35 66 / 60 80 20 0 Cerro/Questa.................... 40 50 33 60 / 80 90 40 0 Red River....................... 37 42 28 49 / 80 90 60 5 Angel Fire...................... 32 50 25 57 / 80 90 60 5 Taos............................ 38 55 30 65 / 80 90 40 0 Mora............................ 40 51 34 66 / 50 70 20 0 Espanola........................ 46 63 36 74 / 70 70 10 0 Santa Fe........................ 47 57 37 68 / 70 80 20 5 Santa Fe Airport................ 45 59 36 71 / 70 70 10 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 54 63 42 75 / 60 60 5 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 53 66 43 77 / 50 50 5 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 51 68 40 78 / 50 50 5 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 52 67 43 77 / 50 50 5 0 Belen........................... 50 71 38 80 / 40 40 5 0 Bernalillo...................... 52 67 42 77 / 60 60 5 0 Bosque Farms.................... 47 70 37 79 / 50 50 5 0 Corrales........................ 51 69 43 78 / 60 50 5 0 Los Lunas....................... 48 70 38 79 / 50 40 5 0 Placitas........................ 54 61 42 73 / 60 70 5 0 Rio Rancho...................... 53 68 43 78 / 60 50 5 0 Socorro......................... 54 72 42 81 / 30 30 0 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 50 59 40 69 / 70 70 5 0 Tijeras......................... 49 60 40 71 / 60 70 5 0 Edgewood........................ 48 62 38 71 / 60 70 5 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 42 64 35 73 / 50 70 0 0 Clines Corners.................. 45 59 37 68 / 40 70 0 0 Mountainair..................... 46 63 36 71 / 50 70 5 0 Gran Quivira.................... 47 63 37 71 / 40 60 10 0 Carrizozo....................... 51 68 40 73 / 10 40 10 0 Ruidoso......................... 49 63 41 67 / 10 60 10 0 Capulin......................... 39 61 33 68 / 10 40 0 0 Raton........................... 40 65 33 73 / 10 40 5 0 Springer........................ 41 67 35 73 / 20 40 5 0 Las Vegas....................... 44 61 37 69 / 30 60 0 0 Clayton......................... 42 70 42 77 / 10 30 5 0 Roy............................. 44 66 37 74 / 10 40 5 0 Conchas......................... 46 75 43 81 / 10 30 10 0 Santa Rosa...................... 49 72 44 77 / 10 40 5 0 Tucumcari....................... 47 77 45 83 / 0 30 10 0 Clovis.......................... 49 79 47 82 / 0 30 10 0 Portales........................ 48 81 46 82 / 0 20 10 0 Fort Sumner..................... 47 77 43 82 / 5 30 10 0 Roswell......................... 52 82 46 85 / 0 20 10 0 Picacho......................... 52 76 41 80 / 5 20 0 0 Elk............................. 49 73 37 78 / 0 40 0 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Fire Weather Watch from Thursday afternoon through Thursday evening for NMZ104-123-125-126. && SHORT TERM...44 LONG TERM....44 AVIATION...42
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
26 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme drought spread across nearly all of the zone.
Extreme drought remained persistent across the eastern half of the zone.
Extreme drought was introduced to the northern half of the zone.
Extreme drought remained persistent over the far northwestern portion of the zone.
Extreme drought was introduced to the southern third of the zone.
Extreme drought remained persistent over the northwest and north central portion of the zone.
Extreme drought was introduced to the far northwestern portion of the zone near Chama.
Extreme drought was introduced to the eastern half of the zone.
Extreme drought was introduced to the northern half of the zone.
Extreme drought was introduced to the northern half of the zone.
Severe drought remained persistent over the entire zone.
Severe drought was introduced over the southern half of the zone.
Extreme drought was introduced over the entire zone.
Extreme drought was introduced over the northern two-thirds zone while severe drought remained over the southern third of the zone.
Extreme drought was introduced over the entire zone.
Extreme and severe drought was introduced over the northern and southern halves of the zone respectively.
Severe drought expanded across the eastern half of the zone.
Severe drought introduced across a majority of the zone.
Severe drought expanded across the entire zone.
Severe drought was introduced to the entire zone.
Severe drought was introduced to the entire zone.
Severe drought was introduced to the entire zone.
Severe drought was introduced to the entire zone.
Severe drought expanded to the entire zone.
Severe drought remained over the northern half of the zone.
Extreme drought was introduced to the far western and far eastern portions of the zone.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2026
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: 1323074, 1323088, 1323089, 1323090, 1323091, 1323092, 1323093, 1323094, 1323095, 1323096, 1323097, 1323098, 1323099, 1323100, 1323101, 1323102, 1323103, 1323104, 1323107, 1323109, 1323112, 1323113, 1323116, 1323118, 1323119, 1323120.