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The Dexes / Wildfire (Storm Events) / 1012058

Eventdex · Wildfire (Storm Events)

EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS

1012058

The record

Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.

Event typeevent_typeWildfire
NOAA NCEI event IDncei_event_id1,012,058
Episode IDepisode_id166,781
Begin UTCbegin_utc2022-04-19T21:00:00+00:00
End UTCend_utc2022-05-01T06:59:00+00:00
StatestateNEW MEXICO
County/zone typecz_typeZ
County/zone namecz_nameEAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS
Deaths directdeaths_direct0
Deaths indirectdeaths_indirect0
Injuries directinjuries_direct0
Injuries indirectinjuries_indirect0
Damage propertydamage_property25.00M
Damage cropsdamage_crops0.00K
Weather forecast office sourcewfo_sourceOther Federal Agency
Episode narrativeepisode_narrativeAs a surface high pressure developed to the east of New Mexico, it established easterly to southeasterly return flow across eastern New Mexico. However, on April 19th and April 20, 2022, a storm system tracking eastward across the central Rockies strengthened westerly flow aloft which quickly overtook the low-level return flow. This was aided by a lee-side surface low across northeastern New Mexico. With deep atmospheric mixing still in place across all of northern and central New Mexico, these stronger westerly winds mixed down to the surface. Most wind gusts across the area were generally between 40 and 50 mph, but wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph were measured at Clines Corners, Gallup, and Angel Fire. Unfortunately, a persistent critical fire weather pattern helped to spark the Calf Canyon Fire in Gallinas Canyon on the Santa Fe National Forest along U.S. Highway 65 on April 19, 2022.
Event narrativeevent_narrativeWhile daily rounds of widespread high fire danger persisted across northern and central New Mexico throughout the month of April, conditions were primed for rapid wildfire growth. The Calf Canyon Fire was sparked on April 19, 2022, near Gallinas Canyon. The wildfire experienced its most rapid growth on April 22nd as a historic and catastrophic fire weather pattern developed across New Mexico. With several hours of widespread 60 to 80 mph wind gusts, the Calf Canyon Fire exploded. This prompted the National Weather Service Albuquerque Office to issue a rare Fire Weather Warning for mandatory evacuations across western San Miguel and Mora counties. By the morning of April 23rd, it was reported that the Calf Canyon Fire had merged with the nearby Hermits Peak Fire, and together, these two fires had burned more than 42,000 acres. A week later, on April 29th, yet another widespread dangerous wind event caused the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires to continue to rapidly spread. This prompted another set of mandatory evacuations across western San Miguel County and the issuance of another rare Fire Weather Warning. By the end of the month of April 30th, the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak wildfires had burned a combined 103,908 acres with 30 percent containment. The Calf Canyon Fire may not be fully contained until July 2022. Up until this point of the fire season, the Calf Canyon Fire has been the most devastating for New Mexico. It is estimated that many homes and structures have been destroyed as citizens come forward with stories about losing everything they have. However, at this time, there is no estimate on how much has been lost as officials have been unable to do official surveys. Damages are estimated.
Yearyear2,022

Provenance

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EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS — Wildfire (Storm Events) — TerraPulse