Wind, Hail, and a Rainbow, Santa Fe, NM
May 28, 2026
by John Farley
On the evening of May 28, 2026, a cluster of strong thunderstorms formed just south of the Santa Fe metropolitan area and moved north, producing both wind and hail that approached severe criteria across much of the city and nearby areas. Storms of this intensity had not been expected, although forecasts did indicate a chance of thunderstorms. Not anticipating severe weather, I had gone to a restaurant near the State Capitol (Roundhouse) to get dinner. I was startled by the intensity of the wind when I came out. Around 7:30 p.m. near the Roundhouse, I observed strong outflow winds that I estimated to be at least 50 mph, and also heard a loud crash, but could not see what was the cause of that. Around the same time, a gust of 51 mph was recorded at the Santa Fe Airport. There was no rain yet at the time of the peak wind, but it was soon to follow and eventually was accompanied by a couple barrages of hail.
The video below shows a rainbow and a burst of hail in Santa Fe, around 7:45 p.m., about 15 minutes after the peak wind and a half mile or so farther north. The largest hail I could confirm was around 1/3 inch in diameter, but elsewhere in Santa Fe there were multiple spotter reports of .88" hail and a report of .70" hail. The NWS had issued a special weather statement (SPS) mentioning the possibility of 50 mph wind and penny sized hail in Santa Fe before this storm arrived (basically when it formed just south if the city), and I would have to say that this SPS more than verified. There was also a nice rainbow (at times a double rainbow) befoe and during the heaviest burst of hail. Here is the video of the rainbow and hail:
Here is a picture of the rainbow, taken just after the burst of hail in the video above:
If you look closely, you can see that it is actually a double rainbow.
