High Wind — Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico

2009-04-04 · Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico

Event narrative

Wind damage was reported eight miles south of Albuquerque at 1200 am MST. A 50 foot section of fence was blown over and gate hinges snapped. Golf carts were tossed around by the wind. A gust to 58 mph was recorded at the Double Eagle Airport at 1215 am MST. A wind gust to 65 mph was reported at the Isleta Pueblo, where a FEDEX truck traveling on Interstate 25 was blown off the road and another tractor trailor tipped over. There were numerous reports of shingles blown off the roofs of homes. Large trees were downed in Bosque Farms. Power to 5000 homes went out. A 40 foot tree was uprooted in the Five Points neighborhood and crushed a swing set.

Wider weather episode

A storm slowly crossed Northern New Mexico on the 3rd and moved into western Kansas on the 4th. Meanwhile, a surface low deepened rapidly over northeast New Mexico and then lifted into western Kansas. A very tight surface pressure gradient led to widespread reports of high winds and locally damaging winds.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 153274. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.