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

2017-03-06 · East Slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico

Event narrative

The RAWS station near Ute Park reported a peak wind gust to 69 mph. The Angel Fire airport also experienced high wind gusts to 62 mph for several hours.

Wider weather episode

An upper level trough racing eastward across the southern Rockies forced a strong cold front through New Mexico with another round of high winds. The strongest winds once again impacted the area from the central mountain chain eastward along Interstate 40. Wind gusts between 70 and 80 mph were reported over the high peaks of the central mountain chain, including Kachina Peak, Sandia Crest, and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory. Gusts across the eastern plains averaged 60 to 65 mph with a few areas of blowing dust. Even the Rio Grande Valley experienced very windy conditions with wind gusts up to 50 mph from near Santa Fe south to Albuquerque and Socorro. A small wildfire broke along the Rio Grande near Montao Road in Albuquerque.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 674128. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.