New Mexico, 2026

High Wind in New Mexico, March 11, 2026

March 11, 2026 · NWS MAF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An incoming front during the morning of the 11th yielded a brief period of high winds at the Gail Mesonet station, as well as the Carlsbad Caverns NP Mesonet station.

Where it happened

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  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 MAF wrote it up.

An incoming front during the morning of the 11th yielded a brief period of high winds at the Gail Mesonet station, as well as the Carlsbad Caverns NP Mesonet station.

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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 11, 4:18 AM MST, 1 hour 49 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Updated at 616 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026
  • Very windy conditions will impact the Permian Basin this afternoon and evening. These windy conditions will elevate the fire threat this afternoon and early evening.
  • Above normal temperatures expected Friday through Sunday making good outdoor weather for the weekend.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 11, 4:18 AM MST, 1 hour 49 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
618 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

...New AVIATION...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 616 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

- Very windy conditions will impact the Permian Basin this
  afternoon and evening. These windy conditions will elevate the
  fire threat this afternoon and early evening.

- Above normal temperatures expected Friday through Sunday making
  good outdoor weather for the weekend.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Thursday afternoon)
Issued at 221 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

Current observations show a cold front entering the Texas
Panhandle. This front will rapidly move south reaching the Permian
Basin by around sunrise and moving through the CWA this afternoon.
Winds have diminished ahead of the front, but expect them to pick
back up behind the front, especially in the Permian Basin where a
Wind Advisory has been issued. Temperatures will drop back down
near normal today with highs in the upper 60s to 70s for most. A
few 80s will be seen along the Rio Grande. Lows tonight will be
chilly dropping into the upper 30s to 40s. Winds become southerly
Thursday recirculating cool air east of the area and keeping highs
near seasonal norms.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Thursday night through Tuesday)
Issued at 221 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

Zonal flow develops Friday and lasts through the weekend bringing
temperatures back well above normal. Highs will range from the 80s
to lower 90s...Saturday will be the warmest day and a few
locations will likely see their first 90 degree day of the year.
An upper trough moving across the northern plains and Great Lakes
region sends a cold front through the area Sunday night.
Temperatures briefly return to near normal Monday before a quick
warm up hits Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hennig

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 616 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

VFR conditions are expected through the TAF period. Winds will
increase in the next couple of hours and shift from a more
northerly direction behind a cold front. Winds will continue to
veer through the TAF period and decrease late as high pressure
settles in.

Hennig

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 221 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

A cold front moves through the area this morning shifting winds
from the north and northeast while increasing and becoming gusty.
The increasing winds increase the fire danger threat today though
minimum afternoon humidities remain above 15 percent so critical
fire conditions are not expected. A Fire Danger Statement has been
issued for this afternoon. Lighter winds Thursday reduce the fire
threat.

Friday sees the fire danger increasing again mainly due to low
humidities that drop into the single digits Friday into Sunday.
These low humidity values drive up the RFTI but the lack of a wind
component should limit the fire threat to elevated thus critical
conditions are not expected.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Big Spring               69  36  72  46 /   0   0   0   0
Carlsbad                 73  40  76  49 /   0   0   0   0
Dryden                   82  44  73  45 /   0   0   0   0
Fort Stockton            75  41  77  51 /   0   0   0   0
Guadalupe Pass           67  40  69  51 /   0   0   0   0
Hobbs                    69  34  72  46 /   0   0   0   0
Marfa                    72  32  72  38 /   0   0   0   0
Midland Intl Airport     70  38  72  47 /   0   0   0   0
Odessa                   70  38  72  47 /   0   0   0   0
Wink                     73  39  75  44 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 7 PM CDT this evening
     for Andrews-Borden-Dawson-Ector-Gaines-Glasscock-Howard-
     Martin-Midland-Mitchell-Scurry.

NM...None.
&&

SHORT TERM...10
LONG TERM....10
AVIATION...10

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 11, 1:14 AM MST, 4 hours 53 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
314 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

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

0857 PM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst Pine Springs            31.89N 104.81W
03/10/2026  M61 MPH          Culberson          TX   Mesonet

            Mesonet station Pine Springs GMNP.

&&
Local storm report, Mar 11, 1:16 AM MST, 4 hours 51 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
316 AM CDT Wed Mar 11 2026

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

1154 PM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 14 W Toyavale           30.96N 104.02W
03/10/2026  M63 MPH          Jeff Davis         TX   Mesonet

            Mesonet station Toyahvale 13W.

&&

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eddy County Plains

When
March 11, 6:07 AM MST to 8:41 AM MST
Where
Eddy County Plains forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
32.472, -104.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The West Texas Mesonet station at Carlsbad Caverns NP measured a period of high wind gusts, including gusts up to 59 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, March 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: 1310322.