High Wind in South Central Mountains, New Mexico

The KSRR AWOS measured a peak gust of 66 mph as well as high sustained winds of 46 mph while a public weather station 5 miles northwest of Nogal measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph. The high wind gusts downed a tree at the intersection of White Mountain and George McCarty Dr. north of Ruidoso and another tree onto power lines on Sudderth Drive in Ruidoso.

A deep upper level storm moved into the western U.S. early on February 17th with a lead disturbance moving over the Four Corners and Intermountain West. Strong mid and upper level winds at the base of this shortwave moved over New Mexico during this time. The Pacific cold front associated with this disturbance moved across the state during the morning hours of the day resulting in brief high wind gusts at several sites along and west of the central mountain chain coinciding with a period of rain and snow west of the Rio Grande Valley and the north central mountains. A peak gust of 84 mph was measured at Kachina Peak within the Taos Ski Valley, while two reports of downed trees with one knocking out a power line came in from Ruidoso. Subsidence behind the cold front allowed stronger winds aloft to translate down the surface resulting in an extended period of high winds along and east of the central mountain chain. High winds tapered off during the late afternoon and evening hours.