924 first-hand accounts of flood events in New Mexico, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
A woman and three children drowned when the car they were riding was swept off the pavement into Walnut Creek. The normally dry creek was running 4 feet deep over a dip in the road following heavy rain of 2 to 4 inches on the watershed 12 to 18 miles to the west.
Read the full account →While thunderstorm coverage was not as widespread compared to the previous day, July 21, 2022, was still a very active monsoon day for northern New Mexico in part due to the training of thunderstorms along the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon burn scar.
Read the full account →It was another active monsoon day across northern and central New Mexico on July 20, 2021. With an area of high pressure centered over the Four Corners and high amounts of atmospheric moisture across western and central New Mexico, thunderstorms developed by late morning across…
Read the full account →An anomalously strong upper low from the west over AZ resulted in shower activity across western NM on October 18th resulting in some high wind gusts across parts of western and central NM.
Read the full account →An upper low was lifting out over the Rockies with an 80 knot upper level jet moving|onto the southern plains. A strong surface high was located over the midwest with strong easterly winds keeping Gulf moisture across the region.
Read the full account →A strong thunderstorm developed over the Chuska Mountains and moved northeast toward Tohatchi shortly before sunset. Locally heavy rainfall associated with this storm quickly filled arroyos in the area.
Read the full account →A backdoor cold front along with northerly flow aloft boosted moisture across northern New Mexico on the 27th. A disturbance within that northerly flow kicked off early morning showers and thunderstorms along and east of the central mountains, moving slowly to the south.
Read the full account →Scattered to numerous thunderstorms continued to impact northern and central New Mexico on August 7, 2022, and the Calf Canyon burn scar was hit once again with heavy thunderstorms. Flash flooding on the burn scar rendered Highway 434 near El Turquillo impassable.
Read the full account →With a low pressure system centered to the southwest of New Mexico and an anomalously moist air mass being transported into the state, the stage was set for another round of showers and thunderstorms across the area on May 30, 2021.
Read the full account →A stationary upper level low pressure system that settled into the Great Basin around the 10th provided a steady stream of near record subtropical atmospheric moisture over New Mexico.
Read the full account →A backdoor front pushed through northern and eastern NM during the morning of August 8th, settling along the east slopes of the central mountain chain. This front replenished monsoon moisture across this part of the state.
Read the full account →Abundant moisture allowed for thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon and evening on the 4th across western and central New Mexico. The combination of heavy rains from slow moving storms and antecedent moisture caused flash flooding to occur in parts of western New Mexico.
Read the full account →The most significant burst of monsoon moisture and instability so far in the 2016 summer season impacted New Mexico on August 5th. Deep atmospheric moisture and strong afternoon heating led to widespread showers and thunderstorms with torrential rainfall.
Read the full account →An upper level low pressure was to the west of the region which aided in atmospheric lift over Southeast New Mexico. Convergence was also over the area which allowed for more lift. An abundance of moisture was in place.
Read the full account →Remnant tropical moisture moved into New Mexico on the 21st but lack of heating limited significant rainfall rates and impacts. More heating, more instability and plenty of moisture on the 22nd led to scattered thunderstorms across the state.
Read the full account →Showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall developed along the Interstate 40 corridor between Gallup and the Continental Divide. Slow-moving thunderstorms produced 1 to 2 inches of rainfall over already saturated soils in the area.
Read the full account →There was moisture coming into the region from Tropical Storm Odile over northern Mexico/southern New Mexico. This made the air mass very moist. Upper level disturbances were moving over the area from Odile which increased atmospheric lift.
Read the full account →An upper low moved across the desert southwest June 1st into June 2nd helping to pull up higher moisture from former Tropical Storm Alvin in the eastern Pacific.
Read the full account →Another burst of abundant monsoon moisture resulted in localized heavy rainfall July 2nd and overnight into July 3rd. Burn scar flash flooding off the Salt burn scar washed out culverts that then diverted water into the Cherokee Mobile home park near Ruidoso.
Read the full account →Another burst of abundant monsoon moisture resulted in localized heavy rainfall July 2nd and overnight into July 3rd. Burn scar flash flooding off the Salt burn scar washed out culverts that then diverted water into the Cherokee Mobile home park near Ruidoso.
Read the full account →A troughing pattern from the Pacific brought in a late season monsoon burst of moisture to the Desert Southwest. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed over portions of the state with more locally heavy rainfall events occurring from the abundant monsoon moisture.
Read the full account →A high influx of moisture ahead of an approaching upper low over the bootheel of NM allowed numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop over central and eastern NM on June 9th.
Read the full account →With an area of high pressure centered over northeast Colorado, above normal amounts of subtropical moisture continued to stream into New Mexico on July 27, 2021.
Read the full account →Deep subtropical moisture brought heavy rain to the Santa Fe area, resulting in flash flooding on the northeast side of town as arroyos became torrents and streets flooded. Locations affected include Morales Bridge, Circle Drive, Lorenzo Road and Cerro Gordo Road.
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