Storm cuts power across New Mexico
Severe weather causes widespread outages for over 9,000 PNM customers in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
Image for illustration purposes
USA, New Mexico, Santa Fe / Albuquerque: A powerful early May storm swept through New Mexico on the evening of 5 May 2025, disrupting power for thousands of homes and businesses in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque regions. The Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) reported that transmission line issues caused by the severe weather led to extensive outages across both metro areas.
As of 5 p.m., nearly 9,500 customers were without electricity, according to PNM’s online outage map. Though power was gradually restored, about 8,500 customers remained in the dark after 9 p.m.
The outages coincided with a surge of intense weather, including heavy rain, hail, snow, and thunderstorms. Downtown Santa Fe and neighborhoods north of the city were hit especially hard by the blackout.
Throughout the evening, PNM’s restoration estimates shifted, initially predicting power would return by 6 p.m., then pushing to 8 p.m., and later to 10 p.m. Crews were dispatched to assess the situation and work on repairs, but restoration timing remained uncertain.
PNM spokesperson Jeff Buell explained around 5:30 p.m. that the company was still evaluating the cause. “We have our standard two-hour window [for restoration] on the outage map right now, but that is subject to change as we gather more information,” Buell said.
While lightning was suspected to be a likely culprit, Buell stressed that this was not confirmed. “Severe weather and lightning in particular are common causes,” he noted, “but it is just an assumption at this point.”
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican
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