Thunderstorm Wind in Quay County, New Mexico

Severe thunderstorm wind gusts blew of a community center roof, church doors and destroyed numerous outbuildings in Nara Visa as reported in Quay County Sun. A social media post showed a large section of a metal fence lofted into the air and draped over a toppled tree at Burns Ranch and a second large tree blown down.

The combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the remnants of Tropical Storm Ileana across eastern NM underlaid strengthening southwesterly flow aloft ahead of an approaching storm system over UT and ID. The strong shear and abundant moisture allowed for scattered strong to severe thunderstorms to develop along the central mountain chain and Rio Grande Valley by the early afternoon. Thunderstorm activity then advanced eastward toward the TX line through the afternoon and early evening hours. Individual storm cells were able to transport high winds aloft to the surface in several locations across eastern NM, including Clayton, Nara Visa, San Jon, Santa Fe and Portales, NM. Power outages were reported along with large tree limbs being snapped.