SOUTHWEST WEATHER BULLETIN

Contents:

Autumn/Winter
Weather page 1

Weather Radar page 2

Satellite Meteorology
page 3

Damaging Thunderstorm Winds page 4

Tornado detection page 5

Flash Floods page 6

WCM Alert page 7

Area Manager-
Max Blood

Warning Coordination
Meteorologist-
John Fausett

Newsletter writer/editor-
Joe Rogash/Lead Forecaster

Autumn/Winter 2001-2002
Weather Highlights

October 2001: High pressure aloft
dominates weather pattern most of the month resulting in little or no rainfall across region.

Oct.12: High winds blow across southern New Mexico and western Texas with gusts near 60 mph causing widespread blowing sand and dust.

Nov. 15-16: Late autumn storm brings quarter to half inch rainfalls across lower elevations with 2 to 4 inches of snow near Cloudcroft.

Nov. 23: Major windstorm strikes the region with 50 to 60 mph gusts causing blowing dust and sand. Poor visibilities contribute to a five vehicle accident on Interstate 10 which kills two people near Deming.

Nov. 28: One to two inches of snow fall around the El Paso area during the early morning. The icy road conditions create havoc through the morning rush hour with at least 80 car accidents reported.

Dec. 11-12: Widespread mountain snows across southern New Mexico and western Texas. Six to twelve inches of snow fall across the Gilas with heaviest amounts north of Pinos Altos. Further east around 12 inches of snow fall over the southern Sacramento Mountains in the Cloudcroft area.

Dec. 21: Springlike storm brings 50 mph wind gusts across the region. The strong winds blow over a tractor trailer in northeast El Paso.

Dec. 31: New Year's Eve storm causes isolated thunderstorms with small hail in the El Paso area during the late evening. Six inches of snow also fall overnight around Cloudcroft.

Jan. 28-29: Between 12 and 14 inches of snow fall around Cloudcroft over the southern Sacramento Mountains.

Jan. 30: Scattered thunderstorms with heavy rain and small hail strike the area. Strongest storms were reported around El Paso, Las Cruces and Alamogordo during the late morning and afternoon hours.

Feb. 2-5: Deep and persistent southerly flow pushes subtropical moisture from the eastern Pacific into the southern Rockies, causing widespread rains across the borderland. Total rainfall amounts were generally between one and one-and-a-half inches. Ten inches of snow also fall around Cloudcroft.

March 23-24: Windy conditions across the borderland with gusts near 50 mph causing blowing sand and dust.

March 2001: Little rain or snow falls over the area from mid February through March. The dry conditions contribute to major forest fires on the southern Sacramento mountains and the Gilas in late March and early April.

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