Severe storm alerts issued for Valencia County, hail and wind possible

Hail, damaging winds and sudden downburst gusts were the main threats for Valencia County as weather alerts covered the county, along with Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, through 4:30 p.m. MDT Monday. The National Weather Service in Albuquerque said showers and thunderstorms would keep moving across central and eastern New Mexico, and some storms could turn severe quickly.

The strongest storms were expected to bring hail at least 1 inch in diameter or wind gusts above 58 mph, the threshold the National Weather Service uses to define a severe thunderstorm. For Valencia County, that created a short-window risk to commute safety, outdoor work, irrigation schedules and small-business operations exposed to wind, hail and blowing dust as conditions changed fast across central New Mexico.

In its June 8 area forecast discussion, the Albuquerque forecast office warned that isolated to scattered showers and dry thunderstorms over western and central New Mexico Monday night and Tuesday could produce damaging downburst winds, patchy blowing dust, dry lightning and new fire starts. The same forecast said dry, breezy winds and hot temperatures were increasing the risk of rapid fire spread in parts of the state.

The storm threat also carried a broader warning for New Mexico residents. The forecast office says all 33 counties see severe thunderstorms at some point during the year, and it identifies downburst winds and flash flooding as the two thunderstorm hazards most likely to produce property damage in the state. That combination is especially disruptive when strong wind and fast-rising water hit at the same time, cutting visibility, slowing traffic and forcing people to rethink outdoor plans on short notice.

Valencia County’s Office of Emergency Management says its mission is to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from hazards. With severe weather expected to remain a recurring risk across the county and the rest of New Mexico, that mission extends far beyond one storm alert, covering the wind damage, flooding and fire danger that can arrive in a single afternoon.