3 Days of Wild Weather in and Near Santa Fe, NM - May 3-5, 2025
Over the 3-day period from May 3 through May 5, A stubborn closed upper low hung over the Southwest states. New Mexico was on the east side of the system, where there was strong forcing, wind shear, and abundant moisture funnelled in from both the Gulf and the Pacific. Severe weather, wintry weather, and exceptionally heavy rain and snow totals for May were the result. In and around Santa Fe over this 3-day period I was able to observe SVR-warned thunderstorms, thundersnow (on 2 and arguably 3 consecutie days), multiple hailstorms, and the rare combination of hail and snow at the same time. And earlier the same evening that happened, hail and snow from the same storm at different times. One storm knocked out power in a large part of the Santa Fe area for more than 6 hours, and rainfall totals in the city reached around 3 and a half inches by the morning of May 7, more than triple the average amount for the entire month of May. Some mountain locations got 2 to 3 feet of snow. Since this evemt involved both hailstorms and winter weather, I am linking these reports from both my Severe Weather Observation page and my Winter Weather Observation page. You can read my accounts of my observations of the storms each day by following the links below:
May 3, 2025 - Thundersnow in the Santa Fe National Forest - I observe thundersnow at the scenic overlook near Ski Santa Fe and at the Forest Service parking lot just below the ski area parking lots. Graupel (snow pellets), mixed at times with ordinary snowflakes, was accombanied by thunder and at times visible lightning for at least a half hour. Snow and graupoel accumulated to about a half inch in open grassy areas around the Forest Service Parking Lot. Includes detailed reports of my observations, a short video of the closest lightning and thunder, and a longer video showing much of what I observed at both locations.
May 4, 2025 - A Severe Thunderstorm Chase, a Thundersnow Chase, and Snow and Hail at the Same Time - My plan had been to intercept any potentially severe storms in the relatively lower elevations that moved in a way that I could potentially catch them, and then later move up into the mountains for thundersnow once the storms were moving that way. Things more or less worked out as planned, as I did initially chase a storm that ended up getting 2 SVR warnings, and then later drove up into the mountains and got some thundersnow for the second day in a row. And much later, in the late evening, another thunderstorm offered up a meteorological surprise - snow and hail at the same time! This report includes photos of the SVR-warned storm, video of the thundersnow, and video and a photo of the storm that produced snow and hail at the same time - one of the very few times I have ever seen this.
May 5, 2025 - A Morning Hailstorm, an Intense Afternoon Storm with Hail and Wintry Precipitation, and Heavy Mountain Snow -This report includes videos of a morning storm that produced up to 1/3-inch hail in Santa Fe, a picture and a video of an intense afternoon storm that produced wintry mixed precipitation and hail across the greater Santa Fe ares, along with lots of lightning that ended up resulting in a large power outage in and north of the city. Also some pictures showing the snow that accumulated in the mountains, along with a detailed report of my observations of all of the above.
May 18, 2025 - Missed Tornadoes but a Nice LP Supercell in Oklahoma - On a day when forecasts and models were way off, I miss spectacular tornadoes near Arnett, OK but do catch a nice barberpole LP supercell near Freedom, OK as it was about to drop golfball to 2-inch hail. Report includes diagrams and analysis of the models/forecasts and why they went wrong, and a picture of the LP supercell.
June 3, 2025 - SW Colorado Supercell with a possible brief funnel, a hail swath, and a mudflow/rockslide - A strong storm develops near Durango, CO and tracks to the southeast, taking on at least marginal supercell characteristics SW of Pagosa Springs, CO. I got views and pictures of a possible brief funnel under a wall cloud with some rotation looking SW from Pagosa Springs, then a swath of hail and a mudflow/rockslide between Chimney Rock National Monument and Arboles/Navajo Lake. Report includes details and pictures.
June 4, 2025 - LP Supercell action in New Mexico - I photograph LP supercells in New Mexico, from around the Encino/Vaughan area east-northeastward to south of Tucumcari, encountering some nice LP structure, a swath of severe hail, and some distant lowerings as the storm intensified in a largely roadless area SW of Tucumcari. And a trailing squall line that offered some nice structure at sunset and a drenching as I tried to get into my motel room in Tucumcari.
June 5, 2025 - Six or more Tornadoes on two supercells from Portales, NM to Lubbock, TX - I get a nice wall cloud and at least one tornado on a storm that developed southwest of Portales, NM and turned right, passing south of there. Then managed to catch up with the storm of the day as it produced a series of tornadoes and other severe weather. Missed the Morton tornado, but got at least 5 others, quite possibly more, from near Levelland, TX to just west of Lubbock. Big hail, gustnadoes, wind driven hail, and flash floods, too. This storm, one of the most intense I have ever seen, had it all. This long, detailed report includes many pictures, video clips of the tornadoes with both storms, and a map showing my chase and the locations of what I observed.
June 6, 2025 - Two tornadic storms in the far western Oklahoma Panhandle - Playing the northern target en route home, I experience two tornadic supercells, both of which developed in southeast Colorado near Kim and tracked into the Oklahoma Panhandle and just northeast of Boise City, OK and on to the ESE into the Texas Panhandle.
July 10, 2025 - Strong Storm, Wind, and Lightning, Omaha, NE - During a non-storm-related trip to the Midwest, I get pictures and video of a strong storm that developed over the Omaha metropolitan area the evening of July 10. Includes video and multiple video captures of lightning and a pretty impressive wall cloud with the tail-end storm of what became a severe MCS that tracked along I-80 from a little NW of Omaha to the Des Moines area, where a hurricane-force gust was recorded at the airport.
Historic Flooding in Southwest Colorado from Back-to-Back Tropical Systems - Two of the four highest flood crests on record in Pagosa Springs, CO occur days apart due to rain from remnants of two Pacific tropical systems, Hurricane Priscilla and Tropical Storm Raymond. Even more destructive flooding occurred in other parts of Southwest Colorado. Report includes numerous photos along with videos and media links regarding this historic weather sequence.
This page last updated October 16, 2025.
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