New Mexico, 2026

High Wind in New Mexico, June 27 to 29, 2026

June 27 to 29, 2026 · NWS ABQ · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

Strong southwesterly winds flowed over New Mexico ahead of an upper level trough developing over the western CONUS June 27th through 29th. While there were associated critical fire weather conditions, there were also a few instances of high wind gusts mixing down to the surface at Gallup and Clines Corners, NM.

Where it happened

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.

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  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

Strong southwesterly winds flowed over New Mexico ahead of an upper level trough developing over the western CONUS June 27th through 29th. While there were associated critical fire weather conditions, there were also a few instances of high wind gusts mixing down to the surface at Gallup and Clines Corners, NM.

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 Jun 27, 12:31 PM MST, 18 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Updated at 127 PM MDT Sat Jun 27 2026
  • Dry and windy conditions will develop this weekend, increasing the threat of rapid fire spread and large fire growth across much of northern and central New Mexico. Critical fire weather conditions will likely persist across northeast New Mexico early next week.
  • There will be a moderate risk of heat-induced illness for sensitive groups in eastern New Mexico this weekend.
  • Isolated afternoon storms may impact outdoor activities in far southeast New Mexico each day through Wednesday.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 12:31 PM MST, 18 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
131 PM MDT Sat Jun 27 2026

...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, FIRE WEATHER...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 127 PM MDT Sat Jun 27 2026

- Dry and windy conditions will develop this weekend, increasing
  the threat of rapid fire spread and large fire growth across
  much of northern and central New Mexico. Critical fire weather
  conditions will likely persist across northeast New Mexico early
  next week.

- There will be a moderate risk of heat-induced illness for
  sensitive groups in eastern New Mexico this weekend.

- Isolated afternoon storms may impact outdoor activities in far
  southeast New Mexico each day through Wednesday.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(This evening through Sunday night)
Issued at 127 PM MDT Sat Jun 27 2026

Satellite imagery shows a dry mid-level airmass pushing in from the
west out ahead of a longwave trough over The Great Basin.
Impressively high sfc dewpoints this morning will rapidly plummet
this afternoon as the more moist airmass at the surface gets mixed
out. Winds will trend stronger this afternoon as a 700mb jet pushes
into western NM. 700mb winds of 30 to 40 knots will mix down to the
surface so gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range will be commonplace
throughout western and northern NM this afternoon and early evening.

An isolated gusty virga shower cannot be ruled out in central NM this
afternoon where there is just enough lingering mid-level moisture.
While coverage will be very limited, the ample DCAPE at the surface
could bring very localized strong winds down to the surface. A few
storms may develop across the southeast as well, but the severe
threat will remain low given the modest instability.

The jet moves overhead tonight so winds will likely remain elevated
through the night over the high terrain, with intermittent gusts
down to the surface elsewhere. Winds increase mid to late morning
Sunday areawide, with peak gusts generally near, if not slightly
higher, compared to today's gusts. It will also be slightly drier as
the main dry slot associated with the longwave trough moves eastward
into western NM. High temperatures will be very similar both
Saturday and Monday, with near to slightly below normal temps in the
west and above average temps in the east.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Monday through Friday)
Issued at 127 PM MDT Sat Jun 27 2026

A shortwave on the SW side of the longwave trough over The Great
Basin will break off Monday as the broader trough begins to lift
into the northern Rockies. Flow aloft will trend slightly weaker so
winds at the sfc will not be quite as strong as over the weekend.
Winds trend stronger again Tuesday as the shortwave trough treks
eastward into the desert SW. The veering winds will begin to draw
sub-tropical moisture northward, with low chance PoPs extending
northward to I-40 Tuesday afternoon. Since SW flow looks to remain
in place through the middle of the week, moisture will struggle to
spread north and westward as a result, keeping precipitation chances
confined to the area south of I-40 and east of I-25.

Westerly flow looks like it will finally begin to diminish over the
weekend into early next week as ridging amplifies over the Rockies.
This will draw moisture northward, increasing humidity and bringing
higher rain chances. Storm chances may finally extend into central
and western portions of the state early next week.
&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1136 AM MDT Sat Jun 27 2026

VFR conditions will continue to prevail through the TAF period. SW
winds will strengthen this afternoon, with the strongest winds
focusing over northwest NM where gusts of 30 to 40 knots will be
commonplace. There is a very low chance (<10%) of a few isolated,
gusty virga showers in central NM this afternoon, with a slightly
higher chance (10-20%) of storms in far SE NM.

A light breeze will prevail in most areas through the night, with
stronger winds in and around the high terrain. This will create
widespread LLWS around the state, although it is unlikely to reach
the 30 knot criteria to be included at any TAF sites.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 127 PM MDT Sat Jun 27 2026

Dry southwest flow will prevail over New Mexico this weekend,
creating widespread critical fire weather conditions. Wetting
rainfall from the past few days may create temporary improvements to
fuel dryness today, but these improvements will be short-lived after
a several day stretch of dry and hot conditions. Southwest winds of
20 to 30 mph will be similar both today and Sunday, with slightly
stronger winds across the northeast on Sunday. Sunday will also be a
tad drier with humidities generally 2 to 4% lower than Saturday.
Very isolated gusty virga showers may develop in central and
northern NM both today and tomorrow with a few storms across the
southeast plains.

The synoptic pattern will remain largely unchanged early next week,
with south to southwest winds, near average temperatures, and low
afternoon humidities (10-20% in most areas). Winds will likely
decrease enough to hold off critical conditions in western and
central areas, with critical coverage confined to the northeast.
Given the RFTI values of 4 to 7 across the northeast, a Fire Weather
Watch was issued for the northeastern portion of the state on
Monday. The same area will be a candidate for another Watch Tuesday.
Moisture will gradually increase from the south mid to late next
week as ridging begins to amplify over The Great Plains. Storm
chances will favor eastern NM, with coverage likely extending
westward next weekend.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Farmington......................  57  91  55  88 /   0   0   0   0
Dulce...........................  47  86  47  83 /   0   0   0   0
Cuba............................  53  87  52  84 /   0   0   0   0
Gallup..........................  53  86  48  84 /   0   0   0   0
El Morro........................  52  84  50  82 /   0   0   0   0
Grants..........................  53  88  51  86 /   0   0   0   0
Quemado.........................  55  85  53  84 /   0   0   0   0
Magdalena.......................  60  89  59  87 /   0   0   0   5
Datil...........................  56  84  54  82 /   0   0   0   0
Reserve.........................  54  89  52  87 /   0   0   0   0
Glenwood........................  59  93  57  91 /   0   0   0   0
Chama...........................  45  80  45  77 /   0   0   0   0
Los Alamos......................  60  86  59  83 /   0   5   5   0
Pecos...........................  56  88  55  85 /   0  10   5   0
Cerro/Questa....................  52  83  52  80 /   0  10   5   0
Red River.......................  47  73  45  70 /   0  10   5   0
Angel Fire......................  43  78  43  76 /   0  10  10   0
Taos............................  53  86  52  83 /   0  10   5   0
Mora............................  54  84  53  82 /   0  10  10   0
Espanola........................  59  93  59  90 /   0  10   5   0
Santa Fe........................  58  88  58  84 /   0  10   5   0
Santa Fe Airport................  57  91  57  88 /   0   5   5   0
Albuquerque Foothills...........  63  94  62  91 /   0   0   5   5
Albuquerque Heights.............  64  94  64  92 /   0   0   5   5
Albuquerque Valley..............  63  96  63  94 /   0   0   5  10
Albuquerque West Mesa...........  64  95  63  92 /   0   0   5   5
Belen...........................  63  97  62  95 /   0   5   0   5
Bernalillo......................  63  95  63  93 /   0   0   5   0
Bosque Farms....................  62  95  61  93 /   0   5   5  10
Corrales........................  64  95  63  93 /   0   0   5   0
Los Lunas.......................  62  96  61  94 /   0   5   5  10
Placitas........................  64  91  63  89 /   0   0   5   0
Rio Rancho......................  64  94  64  91 /   0   0   5   0
Socorro.........................  67  99  66  97 /   0   0   0   0
Sandia Park/Cedar Crest.........  59  88  58  85 /   0   0   5   0
Tijeras.........................  60  89  59  87 /   0   0   5   0
Edgewood........................  59  90  58  87 /   0   0   0   0
Moriarty/Estancia...............  57  91  55  89 /   0   0   0   0
Clines Corners..................  58  87  56  85 /   0   0   0   0
Mountainair.....................  60  90  58  88 /   0   0   0   0
Gran Quivira....................  60  89  59  87 /   0   0   0   0
Carrizozo.......................  67  93  66  91 /   0   0   0   0
Ruidoso.........................  62  85  60  83 /   0   0   0   0
Capulin.........................  57  89  56  87 /   0   0   0   0
Raton...........................  55  92  55  90 /   0   5   0   0
Springer........................  58  94  56  92 /   0   5   0   0
Las Vegas.......................  60  88  58  86 /   0   5   0   0
Clayton.........................  65  97  65  95 /   0   0   0   0
Roy.............................  62  92  61  90 /   0   0   0   0
Conchas.........................  68 101  67  98 /   0   0   0   0
Santa Rosa......................  67  97  66  95 /   0   0   0   0
Tucumcari.......................  71 102  70  99 /   0   0   0   0
Clovis..........................  68  98  68  96 /  10  10  10  10
Portales........................  70 101  69  98 /  10  10  10  10
Fort Sumner.....................  69 100  68  98 /   0   0   0   5
Roswell.........................  71 103  71 100 /  10  10  10  10
Picacho.........................  68  96  67  94 /   0   5   5   5
Elk.............................  65  91  63  89 /   0   5   5   0

&&

.ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ101-104-105-
109-120-121-123-125.

Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 8 PM MDT Sunday for NMZ101-104-
105-109-120-121-123-125.

Fire Weather Watch from Monday afternoon through Monday evening
for NMZ104-123.

Wind Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ202-205-210-216.

&&

SHORT TERM...16
LONG TERM....16
AVIATION...16

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 27, 9:14 AM MST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
1014 AM MDT Sat Jun 27 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0541 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     6 E Storrie Lake State  35.65N 105.13W
06/26/2026  M64 MPH          San Miguel         NM   ASOS

            Delayed Report: ASOS station KLVS Las Vegas Muni Airport.

0831 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 SW Dora               33.92N 103.36W
06/26/2026  M60 MPH          Roosevelt          NM   Mesonet

            Delayed Report: Mesonet station 53 Dora 2 SW.

&&

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, West Central Plateau

When
June 27, 12:49 PM MST to 4:28 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 repeated wind gusts between 58 and 64 mph at sporadic times each hour.

High Wind, West Central Plateau

When
June 28, 1:15 PM MST to 1:53 PM MST
Where
West Central Plateau forecast zone
Measured
54 kt (62 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 repeated wind gusts between 58 and 62 mph.

High Wind, Central Highlands

When
June 29, 9:44 AM MST to 9:45 AM MST
Where
Central Highlands forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
35.209, -105.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Clines Corners ASOS measured a stray high wind gust of 60 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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, June 2026

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1334981, 1334982, 1334983.