Nasty storm roughs up metro Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Heavy rain and destructive winds blew through Albuquerque Tuesday afternoon sending anyone outdoors running for cover while toppling a tree into a house, launching an arroyo rescue and setting off panic at one downtown business.

When the roughest storm to hit the city in some time reached Donna Gonzales's business at 4th Street and Mountain Road NW she thought a small tornado had blown by breaking windows and ripping a metal awning.

"We all got scared," Gonzales told KRQE News 13. "We didn't know what was going on; we didn't know where to run.

"Everything just fell apart and landed on the street."

This was clearly an intense storm.

Video from downtown Albuquerque earlier today shows people running for cover in the wind-swept rain.

The dark, menacing clouds opened up around 3 p.m. unleashing wind-driven rain that chased people from downtown sidewalks. Deepening puddles slowed traffic.

In the middle of the weather mayhem residents of the 4400 block of Carlton NW heard a loud crash.

"And I came outside in front, and sure enough this tree was laying on this lady's house," Daniel Martinez said. "So it was pretty vicious. Pretty severe weather."

The danger spilled over into the arroyos where the Albuquerque Fire Department reported two people had to be plucked from the running water at Wyoming and Indian School NE. The victims were two homeless people who took refuge from the rain under a bridge.

The couple is reported to be OK.

Farther north it was snowing at Ski Santa Fe, and winter warnings and advisories were issued for the Sangre de Cristos at elevations as low as 7,500 feet. Some areas along the Colorado border were forecast to receive up to 10 inches of snow.