The HC 1 wildfire began along the H and R Ranch Road in remote north-central San Miguel County east of Las Vegas, NM during the afternoon of April 8th. The fire grew to 1,415 acres before coming under control later that night.
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The episode as NWS ABQ wrote it up.
The HC 1 wildfire began along the H and R Ranch Road in remote north-central San Miguel County east of Las Vegas, NM during the afternoon of April 8th. The fire grew to 1,415 acres before coming under control later that night.
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 8, 1:19 PM MST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 219 PM MDT Wed Apr 8 2026 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, FIRE WEATHER... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 149 PM MDT Wed Apr 8 2026 - A few high-based and gusty showers and thunderstorms Thursday over central and eastern NM may produce strong and erratic downburst winds with localized blowing dust. - Showers and thunderstorms will return Friday through the weekend. High chances exist for widespread beneficial rainfall across eastern New Mexico. Visibility may be reduced at times from road spray and ponding of water. - Strong west to southwest winds may return as early as Saturday then peak Sunday and Monday afternoons. Strong crosswinds may create difficult travel for large and high- profile vehicles. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Thursday night) Issued at 149 PM MDT Wed Apr 8 2026 There are noteworthy changes to pass along with this forecast. But first, tranquil weather will continue today and tonight with fair weather cumulus and cirrus spreading over the area. Max temps today have trended 5 to 10F degrees warmer than yesterday and overnight lows will follow suit. Low level moisture will begin advecting northwest into southeast NM tonight with a 5-10% chance of low stratus or fog developing from near Roswell to the south and east. A weak mid level perturbation will move quickly northeast thru the area Thursday and interact with a thin layer of mid level moisture and shallow low level moisture to produce isolated to scattered showers. Modest moisture and instability has trended the precip chances lower and the bulk of this activity is likely to be dry with gusty and erratic winds over central and southwest NM. The greatest chance for a wetting storm will be over southeast NM. Max temps will trend another 5F warmer than today with breezier south to southwest winds as well. The 00Z guidance package last night began backing off on the more robust moisture advection into eastern NM along with a delay to the approaching upper level jet forcing Thursday night and Friday. The trend has continued on the 12Z guidance as evidenced by dProg/dT analysis. A weaker and farther northwest progression of the H5 low approaching the central CA coast will result in a weaker and less south-north trajectory of deeper moisture building south and east of NM. Nonetheless, several models still show low clouds and areas of fog building northward into southeast NM late Thursday night and Friday morning. && .LONG TERM... (Friday through Tuesday) Issued at 149 PM MDT Wed Apr 8 2026 There is greater model spread now by Friday with regard to the aforementioned moisture advection, forcing, and QPF placement over central and eastern NM thru Friday night and even Saturday. Nearly all guidance does agree with an eastward shift in the higher QPF during this period. Despite the uncertainties and eastward shift in the higher QPF, the synoptic setup is still supportive of at least likely PoPs for eastern NM thru Saturday. Linear bands of showers and storms are expected to form along and east of the RGV and move northeast within unidirectional 700-500mb south/southwest flow. This means that locations beneath a band will pick up decent rainfall while nearby areas miss out almost entirely until bands propagate downstream. This type of convective pattern also decreases forecast confidence and makes it difficult to pinpoint QPF. South/southwest winds have trended higher for Saturday with the approach of the initial shortwave trough passing to the north of NM. Drier southwest flow spreading into western NM will allow clearing from west to east Saturday morning and afternoon. Model instability is notably stronger Saturday over eastern NM where a few strong to severe storms may occur ahead of the dry intrusion into Saturday evening. SPC is holding onto a 'Marginal Risk' area for the corner of Union County Friday along with a 15% outlook area just west of the NM/TX border Saturday. WPC QPF has trended down for the entire 5-day period which agrees with the overall trends. Nonetheless, QPF amounts are still healthy over eastern NM with 0.25 to 0.75" in most areas. Localized higher amounts >1" are possible. The unsettled weather pattern will continue Sunday and Monday as two, larger, deeper H5 lows swing east into the Great Basin. The more likely threat will be a return to widespread strong southwest winds, lower humidity, and potential fire weather for parts of the area. There is also still potential for showers and high terrain snow over the northern mts and Four Corners Sunday and Monday. Temps would also trend cooler thru Monday and perhaps Tuesday. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1108 AM MDT Wed Apr 8 2026 VFR will prevail all terminals the next 18 hrs with light winds, fair weather cumulus, and increasing high clouds later today. Low level moisture will return to far southeast NM after midnight and there is a 5-10% chance of MVFR stratus or fog at KROW by sunrise. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 149 PM MDT Wed Apr 8 2026 There are no widespread critical fire weather concerns thru the weekend as moisture begins increasing northward into NM. High-based showers and perhaps a storm are possible Thursday along and east of the Rio Grande Valley with slightly breezier south/southwest winds and above normal temps. Deeper moisture will arrive over central and eastern NM Friday and Saturday with increasing potential for heavier showers and storms. The latest trends have shifted the greater rain amounts into eastern NM while a few wet/dry storms are possible over western NM during this period. Winds on Saturday have also trended a tad stronger for the area but overall min humidity is likely to remain above 20%, even across the west. A fire growing pattern may return to parts of the area Sunday and Monday with more widespread strong southwest winds and critically low humidity. Temps will however trend cooler and there are still chances for showers and very high terrain snow across the north and northwest. There is still quite a bit of uncertainty with how the overall pattern will evolve thru the weekend. Rainfall amounts are expected to average 0.25 to 0.75" over eastern NM so at least some mitigation to fire growth is possible if stronger winds do arrive early next week. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 41 77 46 77 / 0 0 0 5 Dulce........................... 29 74 33 72 / 0 5 0 20 Cuba............................ 38 72 43 71 / 0 10 10 30 Gallup.......................... 32 73 37 73 / 0 0 0 10 El Morro........................ 39 70 42 69 / 0 10 5 20 Grants.......................... 36 75 39 73 / 0 10 10 30 Quemado......................... 40 72 42 71 / 0 10 0 20 Magdalena....................... 47 74 48 73 / 0 20 10 30 Datil........................... 43 71 44 69 / 5 20 10 30 Reserve......................... 38 78 40 75 / 0 10 0 10 Glenwood........................ 42 83 45 80 / 0 5 0 5 Chama........................... 33 67 36 65 / 0 10 5 30 Los Alamos...................... 46 71 48 70 / 0 10 10 40 Pecos........................... 39 73 42 71 / 0 20 20 60 Cerro/Questa.................... 40 69 41 67 / 5 10 10 50 Red River....................... 29 65 33 59 / 5 20 20 50 Angel Fire...................... 26 66 29 63 / 5 20 20 60 Taos............................ 32 73 37 71 / 0 10 10 40 Mora............................ 38 72 40 68 / 0 20 20 60 Espanola........................ 39 78 43 77 / 0 10 10 40 Santa Fe........................ 46 73 47 71 / 0 10 20 50 Santa Fe Airport................ 42 76 46 74 / 0 10 10 40 Albuquerque Foothills........... 52 79 54 78 / 0 10 20 40 Albuquerque Heights............. 48 80 52 80 / 0 10 20 30 Albuquerque Valley.............. 46 83 50 82 / 0 20 20 30 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 49 81 52 80 / 0 10 20 30 Belen........................... 41 83 46 82 / 0 20 20 30 Bernalillo...................... 47 82 50 81 / 0 10 10 30 Bosque Farms.................... 41 83 47 82 / 0 20 20 30 Corrales........................ 48 83 50 81 / 0 10 20 30 Los Lunas....................... 43 83 48 82 / 0 20 20 30 Placitas........................ 50 78 52 77 / 0 10 20 40 Rio Rancho...................... 48 82 52 81 / 0 10 20 30 Socorro......................... 48 84 51 82 / 0 20 20 30 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 47 74 49 72 / 0 10 20 50 Tijeras......................... 43 77 47 76 / 0 10 20 50 Edgewood........................ 38 78 43 75 / 0 10 20 50 Moriarty/Estancia............... 35 78 39 76 / 0 10 20 40 Clines Corners.................. 42 74 44 71 / 0 20 20 50 Mountainair..................... 43 77 45 75 / 0 10 20 40 Gran Quivira.................... 43 75 46 74 / 0 10 20 40 Carrizozo....................... 48 78 50 76 / 0 20 10 40 Ruidoso......................... 46 71 47 69 / 0 20 10 40 Capulin......................... 38 72 38 67 / 10 20 30 60 Raton........................... 35 75 38 71 / 10 20 20 60 Springer........................ 36 77 38 74 / 5 20 20 50 Las Vegas....................... 39 75 42 71 / 0 20 20 50 Clayton......................... 43 80 47 72 / 10 30 30 60 Roy............................. 41 77 42 73 / 5 20 30 60 Conchas......................... 43 85 48 81 / 0 30 20 50 Santa Rosa...................... 42 80 46 78 / 0 20 20 50 Tucumcari....................... 49 87 52 83 / 0 20 20 60 Clovis.......................... 47 85 50 82 / 0 20 10 40 Portales........................ 46 85 50 82 / 0 20 10 30 Fort Sumner..................... 43 84 49 82 / 5 20 20 50 Roswell......................... 48 85 53 83 / 0 10 5 30 Picacho......................... 46 80 46 77 / 0 20 5 40 Elk............................. 43 79 45 76 / 0 20 5 30 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...42 LONG TERM....42 AVIATION...42
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Beginning along the H and R Ranch Road in north-central San Miguel County, the HC 1 Wildfire grew to 1,415 acres without causing any damage to any known structures.
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: 1321765.