Tornado Watch Issued for Four New Mexico Counties

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, issued Tornado Watch 693 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 11:10 AM MDT[1]. This watch is in effect until 9:00 PM MDT the same day[1]. Four counties in New Mexico are included: Catron, Cibola, McKinley, and San Juan[1]. Specific cities mentioned in the watch are Crownpoint, Datil, Farmington, Gallup, Grants, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Reserve, and Zuni Pueblo[1].

NWS Albuquerque forecasts indicate that showers and thunderstorms will spread across western New Mexico this afternoon and evening[3]. These storms could become severe, with potential hazards including damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph and hail larger than one inch in diameter[3]. A brief tornado cannot be ruled out for western New Mexico[3]. The forecast also notes a Flood Watch for all areas west of the Rio Grande Valley through Friday morning[3]. There is a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall, with the highest flash flooding threat in far western New Mexico this afternoon[3].

The NWS Weather Prediction Center issued a Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion for northwestern New Mexico earlier today, forecasting heavy rainfall and likely flash flooding, valid until 3:00 PM MDT[4]. This regional weather pattern involves a Pacific storm interacting with tropical moisture, bringing heavy rainfall and flash flooding to the Southwest USA and Four Corners region[5]. New Mexico is part of this broader flood threat[5]. Cities such as Albuquerque, Farmington, Gallup, Silver City, and Zuni Pueblo are listed among those affected or at risk for flooding in New Mexico[5].

However, an independent weather tracking application reports no active tornado watches, warnings, or advisories for Cibola County as of 6:25 PM MDT on October 22[2]. This application also states that no tornado warning has included Cibola County in the last 12 months, and there have been zero tornado watches for the county in that period[2]. This appears to conflict with the official NWS Tornado Watch 693, which explicitly includes Cibola County[1]. Looking ahead, the Weather Prediction Center forecasts widespread precipitation across northern New Mexico from October 22-27, with totals ranging from 1 to 3 inches and localized amounts exceeding 5 inches[6].