Power Outage in Albuquerque, NM

PNM reported power outages due to trees on lines near I-40 and 12th and Central and Coors. AFD also received calls of power lines down. Extent of line damage is unknown.

Power lines down at Montano and 4th.

Several trees, power poles, and power lines were blown down across downtown Albuquerque.

Media member supplied pictures of trampoline that was blown on top of a power line, indicating an estimated wind speed of 55 mph.

Residents around south valley reported tree limbs and power lines down. Yards were trashed as grills and other items were blown around.

Interstate 25 northbound closed from Rio Bravo to Gibson due to downed power lines along highway.

Several vehicles submerged on Central Avenue under the railroad tracks. AMAFCA noted that at one point the Broadway Pump Station did not activate. This may have been due to a power failure. This caused some flooding at Broadway and Lomas. That water flowed south and taxed the storm drainage network to the south. The South Broadway Detention Basin may have overtopped. At Tingley Park (which is a surge pond) the ring and cover was knocked loose by the water in the storm drain but it is unclear whether or not the Alcalde and Barelas Pump Stations then failed.

Interstate 25 southbound from the I25/I40 interchange south to Gibson closed due to downed power lines.

Power lines downed in a couple areas from Juan Tabo and Candelaria to Wyoming and Lomas.

Local media reported that Unser Rd. was closed between St. Josephs and Vista Oriente due to flooding. Rainfall amounts of over one inch in 20 minutes were reported in the area. Power was out for approximately 10,000 customers in association with this storm.

Dry microburst impacted portions of the Albuquerque Foothills near Tramway Boulevard and Comanche NE. A total of seven high-tension power poles were downed within a very small area immediately west of Tramway Blvd.

The center of upper level high pressure shifted east into Texas on the 11th and allowed a deep tap of moisture to spread north into New Mexico. Atmospheric moisture values over the region surged to the highest levels of the season. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed over the central and western high terrain during the morning hours then moved east toward the Rio Grande Valley and high plains. Several outflow boundaries converged over the Albuquerque metro area by mid to late day and led to the development of strong thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. Many folks in Albuquerque picked up their greatest 24-hour totals of the season. Unfortunately, one man died after being swept away by flood waters in the Embudo Channel at Carlisle and Interstate 40. His body was found later near the Rio Grande at the terminus of the North Diversion Channel. A storm that moved northward across the Interstate 40 corridor near Edgewood downed about a dozen power poles. This led to an extended power outage for an estimated 6,300 customers. Many areas of eastern New Mexico picked up another one to two inches of rainfall, adding to the impressive summer totals. This was just the first of several very active weather days across the area.

The center of upper level high pressure shifted west into southwest New Mexico the first few days of August 2017. This allowed stronger northwest flow aloft to develop over eastern New Mexico with very moist and unstable southeast low level flow. A large area of showers and thunderstorms developed over the northern mountains by late morning then shifted southeast into the nearby highlands and plains. Strong outflow winds from a storm near Dulce produced significant damage to the roof of the Jicarilla Head Start. Another storm over Albuquerque downed a tree near Montano and Rio Grande. These storms organized into mesoscale convective complex as they pushed into eastern New Mexico during the evening hours. High winds first impacted the area around Melrose where gusts up to 60 mph were reported. The most severe portion of the storm complex surged through the area between Portales and Dora where significant damage was reported. Straight line winds estimated up to 85 mph tore roofs off buildings, downed tree limbs, damaged vehicles, turned over large irrigation pivots, and downed a one mile stretch of power poles. Heavy rainfall over saturated grounds produced flash flooding and forced the closure of several county roads south of Portales.

An enhanced jet stream created enough lift and destabilization along with just enough moisture for isolated showers and thunderstorms across western and northern New Mexico. Significant dry air below the convection limited rain potential but allowed for a few storms to produce strong microburst outflow winds. One such microburst hit the southern valley portion of Albuquerque, causing a tramopline to be lifted on top of a power pole. Other notable reported microbursts include a 58 mph wind gust at the Roswell International Airport, a 56 mph wind gust at the Taos airport, and a 55 mph wind gust in Moriarty. No other damages or impacts were reported.

The first significant storm system of the fall season raced southeast out of the Pacific Northwest and into the central Rockies on the 12th. The combination of powerful upper level winds and a potent surface cold front produced widespread strong winds over New Mexico. Enough mid-level moisture was present to fuel scattered showers and thunderstorms over central and eastern New Mexico. The convective activity enhanced the transport of stronger winds aloft to the surface and resulted in several reports of wind gusts near 70 mph. Some very light high elevation snowfall was also reported around the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

A strong thunderstorm that developed over the Albuquerque International Sunport shifted slowly west into Albuquerque's South Valley late on the 15th. This storm produced very heavy rainfall, strong winds, and a large dust devil or gustnado within the south valley corridor. Local broadcast media reported downed tree limbs and power lines with power outages for several hours. Residents indicated minor damage to landscaping with grills and other outdoor items tossed around. However, no significant widespread flooding or major damage was reported.

Just after midnight on the morning of the 16th, a line of strong storms crossed south eastward across Interstate 40 near Santa Rosa. This storm produced two lightning strikes that hit a rest area and gas station causing power failures. ||The greatest amount of atmospheric moisture available to date for the summer of 2014 was in place across much of central New Mexico. Light northwest steering flow aloft beneath an upper level high pressure center building over southwestern New Mexico allowed for locally heavy rainfall. An area of thunderstorms developed over the southern slopes of the Jemez Mountains forced development farther south into the Albuquerque Metro Area. These storms developed from northwest to southeast and continually trained over the center of Albuquerque for nearly an hour. The heaviest rainfall impacted the area from near Montano and Coors southeast across the UNM area, the Albuquerque Sunport, the area around Juan Tabo and Copper, and Mesa del Sol. Significant standing water was reported along Coors Boulevard. Strong flows created impassible conditions along Washington Avenue between Indian School and Constitution. A frightening YouTube video was posted of the Embudo Canyon flood channel with water battering water beneath of overpass along Interstate 40. The water was only about 5 feet away from pouring out onto Interstate 40. The most significant flooding occurred around Mesa del Sol where several homes took in water several inches deep. Many yards in the area reported around 6 inches of standing water.

An upper level disturbance pushed southeast across northern New Mexico and interacted with a stationary frontal boundary in the Rio Grande Valley. The combination of abundant moisture and instability and northwest flow aloft produced repeated rounds of heavy rainfall across areas in northern as well as central portions of the state including the Las Conchas burn scar and the Albuquerque Metro Area. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches were reported with these storms. Flooding initially occurred in north-central NM during the afternoon and evening hours before training cells developed in northern Bernalillo County during the overnight hours. The Interstate 25 corridor around Bernalillo into north Albuquerque was one of the hardest hit. Widespread flooding was reported in Bernalillo due to the heavy rainfall and a breached acequia. Up to 5 feet of water was reported in one home in Bernalillo. Frequent cloud to ground lightning strikes created numerous power outages across Santa Fe with nearly 30,000 customers out in Albuquerque. Lightning was reported to have hit Sandia Casino in northeast Albuquerque shortly after midnight.

Isolated thunderstorms developed just north of the Whitewater-Baldy burn scar during the early afternoon and within an hour, isolated strong thunderstorms were directly over the burn scar that caused flooding in local creeks. Similarly, isolated strong storms developed in north central NM over a second burn scar where flooding was also observed during the evening hours. Later in the day, a large complex of strong thunderstorms organized over north central New Mexico then slowly pushed south along the entire Rio Grande Valley into the Big Bend region of Texas. As this storm complex pushed into the Albuquerque Metro Area, a severe downburst wind measuring a historical 89mph at the Sunport surged out ahead of the storm and produced extensive damage and flash flooding to many areas along and south of Interstate 40. Several outdoor events were severely impacted, including an Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game, Summer Fest at the BioPark Zoo, and a concert at the Isleta Ampitheater. Downed tree branches and uprooted trees created extensive power outages leaving more than 25,000 customers without power. Interstate 25 was closed between the Big I and Rio Bravo Boulevard for nearly 12 hours as downed power lines and power poles were repaired along several access ramps. Flash flooding with these thunderstorms stranded several motorists in several feet of water across downtown Albuquerque and in many other areas of town. This complex of storms continued to produce flash flooding as it moved south through Los Lunas, Belen, and much of Socorro County. Flooding at a waste water treatment facility in Belen prompted a state of emergency.

A strong ridge of high pressure in place over the state with a thin layer of mid level moisture produced conditions conducive for dry thunderstorms with strong outflow winds. During the evening hours one of these dry storms produced a dry microburst which toppled nearly one dozen power poles near the Albuquerque Foothills. Another dry microburst near the Albuquerque Metropolitan Detention Center downed a few power lines. Other areas of the city also experienced minor damage from these winds. Power outages were reported in numerous locations throughout the city with crews continuing to restore power into the following afternoon.

A powerful early autumn storm system over the Great Basin spread strong winds and deep moisture across much of north and central New Mexico beginning early on October 11th. Strong to severe thunderstorms first developed over the southwest portion of the state and spread quickly north and east into the central valley and eastern plains by mid afternoon. High winds also developed by the afternoon over the far western portions of the state.

A mix of wet snow and locally heavy rain was recorded across north and central New Mexico during the first 4 days of April. The welcome precipitation in the parch dry state began on the 2nd and then increased throughout the day on the 3rd. Through the evening of the 3rd and early morning of the 4th, heavy wet snows of 12 to 20 inches accumulated in western Mora County which closed roads and brought down power lines servicing 1000 homes. The rain proved too much of good thing in Albuquerque which suffered sinkholes and collapse of several storm drains. The city set a new 24 hour precipitation total of 2.29 inches breaking a previous record of 2.26 inches for a 24 hour period in 1893. Heavy rain was also reported across east central New Mexico but these areas escaped the heavy flooding that occurred in the far southeast sections of the state at Carlsbad.

Strong thunderstorms moved south from the Jemez Mountains into the middle Rio Grande Valley with brief heavy rain, intense lightning and gusty winds of 45 to 65 mph. Several porch coverings and roofs were damaged or torn off at Sandia Pueblo. The storms passed over Albuquerque causing mainly downed tree limbs and power outages, but several tents and portable fireworks facilities were tossed and overturned. Damage to additional roofs and fireworks tents were also reported at Los Lunas.