High Wind — Lower Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico

2023-02-22 · Lower Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico

Event narrative

A trained storm spotter reported an uprooted and downed tree at San Acacia in north-central Socorro County.

Wider weather episode

A strong portion of the jetstream associated with a deep upper level low brought damaging winds to portions of northern and central NM February 22, 2023. Peak gusts regularly topped 70 mph, with the Santa Fe Airport recording a peak gust of 85 mph. The Magdalena Observatory also measured a peak gust of 93 mph in the San Mateo Mountains of western Socorro County. There were numerous reports of down trees, mostly within the Rio Grande Valley stretching from near Socorro to the Albuquerque metro. The most extreme of these wind damage reports included down transmission or communication towers at the Sandia Crest. This storm system also brought winter storm conditions, mostly to western and northern NM. These include reports of heavy snow, road closures along Interstate 40, and an avalanche at the Taos Ski Valley.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1073000. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.