Flash Flood — Valencia, New Mexico

2022-06-18 · near Sandia, Valencia, New Mexico

Event narrative

Heavy rain near Los Lunas caused a section of New Mexico State Road 6 to wash out. One vehicle with a family of three was traveling on the roadway when the road was washed out. Their car was submerged, but fortunately, nearby contruction workers were able to pull the family out of the car. No injuries were reported. The flooding forced the closure of the roadway during the evening hours. Damages are estimated.

Wider weather episode

As an area of high pressure remained centered to the east of New Mexico, it allowed for a healthy stream of moisture to continue to move into the western half of the state on June 18, 2022. With the monsoonal moisture plume focused in this area, the day's thunderstorms favored areas along and west of the central mountain chain. With moisture streaming into the area over the past few days, the atmosphere was primed and better able to support thunderstorms with heavy rain. One of these thunderstorms near Embudo in Rio Arriba County produced an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain which caused flooding along area roadways. Another washed out a section of New Mexico State Road 6 near Los Lunas, forcing the closure of the highway.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.8200, -106.8200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1021556. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.