High Wind — West Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

2016-03-22 · West Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

CWOP site measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph at 556pm MDT to the northwest of Glorieta.

Wider weather episode

Strong winds associated with a powerful upper level storm system combined with a strong area of surface low pressure across New Mexico to produce widespread high winds. The strongest winds impacted the higher terrain of central and western New Mexico on the 22nd then central and eastern New Mexico on the 23rd. Peak wind speeds ranged from 60 to 70 mph. Temperatures were well above normal with a few records highs broken. The combination of warm temperatures and very low humidity produced dangerous fire conditions and blowing dust across the state. The visibility was reduced to one-half mile at Farmington and around 2 miles at Gallup from blowing dust. A wildfire broke out near Pojoaque and another near Ruidoso. Fortunately these fires were quickly contained. Tumbleweeds were a problem across much of the state as well, particularly the Albuquerque west side where drifts over 5 feet caused lane closures on several streets. The most significant property damage occurred to a home in Los Alamos where a large pine tree was toppled.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 616168. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.