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

2017-02-06 to 2017-02-08 · East Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

Ute Park reported peak wind gusts up to 66 mph. Five large cottonwood trees were blown over around Ute Park. One tree was nearly two feet in diameter and landed over a roadway. No damage was reported to power lines.

Wider weather episode

A powerful jet stream over the Pacific Ocean shifted east across the southwest United States and focused strong west to northwest winds over New Mexico for several days in early February. Strong winds developed in the higher terrain of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains during the early morning of the 6th before spreading into adjacent highlands and plains through the afternoon. Periodic strong winds impacted this area through the 8th. The strongest wind gusts averaged 60 to 70 mph. Meanwhile, widespread windy conditions across the remainder of central and eastern New Mexico produced gusts between 45 and 55 mph for several days.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 669920. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.