High Wind — West Central Plateau, New Mexico

2022-05-08 · West Central Plateau, New Mexico

Event narrative

A weather station near Vanderwagen measured a peak sustained wind speed of 42 mph.

Wider weather episode

With several weeks of persistent high winds and very dry conditions across northern and central New Mexico, early May brought more of the same to the area which was suffering from devastating wildfires. A very active storm track continued to affect the western United States, but instead of precipitation, high winds were much more common for New Mexico. Beginning on May 8, 2022, a slow-moving storm system began to track southward along the west coast which steered a potent polar jet across New Mexico. Wind speeds first strengthened across the northern high terrain early on May 8th and then spread into lower elevations during the afternoon and evening hours. These high winds persisted through the overnight hours and during much of the day on May 9th before finally diminishing after sunset. Wind speeds of 40 to 55 mph were common across much of northern and central New Mexico. High winds in excess of 58 mph were common across much of the high terrain and mountainous areas. This was particularly devasting for the ongoing wildfires across northern New Mexico. This dangerous pattern allowed the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires to spread at additional 20,000 acres.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1013230. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.