High Wind — Upper Tularosa Valley, New Mexico

2022-02-16 · Upper Tularosa Valley, New Mexico

Event narrative

A White Sands Missile Range mesonet station near Oscuro measured a 63 mph wind gust.

Wider weather episode

A storm system approaching from the west starting February 15, 2022 and finally tracking over New Mexico on February 17th steered a potent upper-level jet overhead. Strengthening flow aloft, especially across southern New Mexico where the core of the jet was located, combined with deep mixing heights allowed for increasing surface winds. These winds first increased across the Sacramento Mountains on February 15th before becoming more widespread across areas south of Interstate 40 and east of Interstate 25 on February 16th. Wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph were most common across this area, however, high wind speeds were measured in several locations. The strongest wind gust of this event was recorded at Tucumcari where a brief 79 mph gust was measured. As the system finally tracked over the area on February 17th, it brought a round of light to moderate snow to portions of the area. The highest accumulations were measured across the northern mountains which received totals ranging from 3 to 8 inches. Lesser amounts were measured across central valleys, including at Albuquerque where snow totals across the metro ranged from about 1 to 3 inches. Impacts: high winds, heavy snow, difficult travel conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 998700. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.