ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A wild start to the week when it comes to weather. In Albuquerque, temperatures dropped and wind gusts picked up to 70 mph in some areas and with that, the wind came with a lot of damage. Rains also came overnight and into Wednesday morning.
Some of the main victims of the crazy wind Tuesday were the trees. It’s a common story across the Albuquerque metro Tuesday night–uprooted trees, downed branches, power lines, and debris strewn across streets and yards as rain has been falling consistently through the night.
The wind left a major mess in the Country Club neighborhood where there are lots of towering cottonwoods. A tree branch also fell on top of a fire hydrant, spewing water into the street as residents tried to make their way home. Albuquerque Fire Rescue posted a video of a massive tree as it toppled into someone’s front yard, fortunately, away from the house; it was not the only one to come down.
“I was sitting there watching TV, and I’d been watching it because it shook a little bit, and then all of a sudden it just came,” said one resident.
The City of Albuquerque’s Parks and Recreation Dept. said it was a busy evening and night for them as well as they had crews out monitoring for fallen trees and limbs following the heavy winds.
Even Lovelace Medical Center suffered some damage as the wind tore through their coronavirus testing tents. Because of the damage, they will be closed Wednesday. Over near Central and Tramway, Matt Simonds caught a portable toilet strolling down the street earlier Tuesday evening.
Overnight, another light pole came down along Fourth Street and rain and winds are expected through the afternoon on Wednesday. The Albuquerque Police Department is urging residents to use caution driving Wednesday morning as many traffic lights are out due to power outages.
The Albuquerque Department of Municipal Development announced that on Wednesday, the intersection of Fifth Street and Lomas is closed until at least noon as roof panels blew off of the District Courthouse. The roof can’t be accessed until the wind dies down and the public is asked to avoid the area.
