Flash Flood — Mckinley, New Mexico

2022-08-16 · near Church Rock, Mckinley, New Mexico

Event narrative

Heavy rain near Church Rock forced the closure of Interstate 40 in both directions at mile marker 33.

Wider weather episode

The upper-level high pressure system was located over the Great Basin area on August 16, 2022, while a backdoor front moved into eastern New Mexico before stalling along the east slopes of the central mountain chain. Increased moisture and favorable upslope flow supported increasing thunderstorm coverage across much of northeast New Mexico. With already saturated soils from an active monsoon season, the stage was already set across this area for flash flooding. New Mexico's largest burn scar was hit once again with strong thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall, flooding areas that have been repeatedly hit this summer. Meanwhile, heavy rain also impacts northwest New Mexico near the Arizona border, causing devastating flash flooding around Sheep Springs.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.5200, -108.5800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1039772. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.