Tornadoes · United States · New Mexico · 2014

EF0 tornado, Abbott, New Mexico, June 6, 2014

This EF0 tornado ran 0.8 miles across Colfax County on June 6, 2014, touching down at 4:25 PM MDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
June 6, 2014
Touchdown
4:25 PM MDT (22:25 UTC)
Lifted
4:35 PM MDT (22:35 UTC)
On the ground
10 minutes
Path length
0.8 miles (1.4 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Colfax County
Touchdown point
36.510, -104.220
Lift-off point
36.505, -104.206
Record number
1406061625-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A moist backdoor cold front pushed southwest across the eastern plains and through the central mountains. Strong instability and sufficient low level shear set the stage for a significant round of severe weather across eastern New Mexico. Storms began to form during the early afternoon hours with many cells becoming severe by midday. Several storms produced large hail, strong winds, and a few tornadoes. A powerful storm near Maxwell produced hen egg size hail and significant damage to cars and windows. A supercell thunderstorm that developed near Ranchvale and progressed across the north side of Clovis produced a tornado in Ranchvale and widespread wind and hail damage in Clovis. An impressive 79mph wind gust was reported at Cannon Air Force Base. The NMSU Agricultural Science Center suffered major damage to crops, buildings, and vehicles from hail. Thunderstorms continued in the northeast portion of the state into the following morning.

Meteorologist reported a supercell thunderstorm producing a tornado for 10 minutes 2 miles northwest of Dorsey Mansion State Monument. No damage was reported.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:43 UTC and running to 03:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
18:54 UTC20:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
19:50 UTC20:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
20:28 UTC21:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
20:43 UTC03:00 UTCTornado WatchABQ
20:54 UTC22:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
21:16 UTC22:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
21:28 UTC23:30 UTCFlood AdvisoryABQ
21:31 UTC23:30 UTCFlood AdvisoryABQ
22:01 UTC22:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
22:08 UTC22:40 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
22:32 UTC23:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
22:38 UTC23:15 UTCTornado WarningABQ
23:11 UTC01:15 UTCFlood AdvisoryABQ
23:22 UTC23:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ
00:53 UTC01:47 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningABQ

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:00 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), 12:00Z

10.4 hours before the tornado, 267 km from the path. June 6, 2014.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2014-06-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 52 joules per kilogram, CIN -507, lifted condensation level 2307 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2014-06-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -79 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 54 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
52 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-507 J/kg
Surface CAPE
231 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2307 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-79 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
447 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.1
0-3 km lapse rate
3.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), 00:00Z

1.6 hours after it, 267 km from the path. June 7, 2014.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2014-06-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1985 joules per kilogram, CIN -38, lifted condensation level 1933 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2014-06-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 3 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 33 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1985 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-38 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3724 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1933 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.5
0-3 km lapse rate
7.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Raton/Crews Field (RTN), 37 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
20:41 UTC7056160° 15 kt281016.3VCTS
20:53 UTC7358170° 14 kt1015.9TS
21:08 UTC7258170° 16 kt1015.2VCTS
21:53 UTC7456170° 17 kt241015.2VCTS
22:06 UTC7352170° 14 kt1014.9
22:31 UTC7253180° 8 kt1014.6VCTS
22:40 UTC7452120° 9 kt1015.2TS
22:53 UTC7449110° 16 kt241015.2-RA
23:00 UTC724990° 12 kt181015.2VCTS -RA
23:15 UTC725090° 10 kt1015.6
23:53 UTC725060° 11 kt1014.6

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 215 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:24 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
21:00 UTCHAIL 1.753 Nw MaxwellColfax, NM
21:07 UTCHAIL 2MaxwellColfax, NM2 INCH HAIL IN MAXWELL RESULTED IN BROKEN WINDOWS AND CAR DAMAGE.
22:15 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 W AbbottColfax, NMTRAINED SPOTTER NOTED BLOWN OVER TELEPHONE POLL.
22:39 UTCTORNADO20 N AbbottColfax, NMTRAINED SPOTTER SPOTTED BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2014 tornado in New MexicoEvery tornado in New Mexico since 1950Warnings in force in New Mexico nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 6, 2014

17 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 612:05 PM MDTEF0Sheridan, NE0.240
June 61:00 PM MDTEF0Cherry, NE0.240
June 62:35 PM CDTEF1Independence, AR3.3752$250,000
June 61:51 PM MDTEF1Las Animas, CO8.64001$5,000
June 61:55 PM MDTEF0Kimball, NE0.925
June 61:56 PM MDTEF0Weld, CO0.150
June 63:00 PM CDTEF1Jackson, AR2.050$40,000
June 62:20 PM MDTEF0Weld, CO0.5100
June 62:46 PM MDTEF1Las Animas, CO1.4100$3,000
June 62:53 PM MDTEF0Sedgwick, CO0.1100
June 65:35 PM MDTEF0Curry, NM1.250
June 66:47 PM CDTEF0Kearny, KS0.525
June 66:58 PM CDTEF0Kearny, KS0.625
June 66:59 PM CDTEF0Kearny, KS0.325
June 67:15 PM CDTEF0Hartley, TX2.525
June 68:46 PM EDTEF0Bamberg, SC0.840$4,000
June 67:52 PM CDTEF0Ochiltree, TX1.670

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.