Severe thunderstorm warning issued for Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec

Quarter-sized hail fell in Bloomfield, and wind gusts reached 64 mph near Aztec and Bloomfield under a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec until 4:45 p.m. MDT Thursday. Blowing dust, sudden wind shifts and hail could quickly make roads unsafe in San Juan County.

The Albuquerque forecast office posted the warning at 1:56 p.m. MDT and followed it with a severe weather statement at 1:59 p.m. MDT. Earlier in the day, scattered showers and storms across western and central New Mexico were expected to produce strong and erratic outflow wind gusts, and a few storms could become severe and bring damaging winds. The office also warned that localized blowing dust could reduce visibility for drivers moving between Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec during the late afternoon commute.

Spotty wetting rain, lightning, gusty winds and blowing dust were forecast across much of New Mexico. Dry and windy weather would build over the weekend, raising the risk of rapid fire spread across much of northern and central New Mexico. Eastern New Mexico faced a moderate risk of heat-induced illness through Sunday.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when storms can produce damaging winds and hail, and the weather service advises people to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building when one is issued. Storm reports from San Juan County will be folded later into official records, with severe thunderstorm data preserved in the Storm Events Database going back to 1955. For residents in Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec, the immediate concern remained simple: protect vehicles, secure anything that can blow away, keep pets inside and stay off roads where hail and dust can cut visibility in seconds.