Heavy Rain — Otero, New Mexico

2023-08-23 · near La Luz, Otero, New Mexico

Event narrative

An observer in La Luz recorded 3.33 inches of rain on the afternoon of the 23rd. Additional heavy rain reports included 2.43 inches in Cloudcroft, 2.35 inches about a mile northwest of High Rolls and 2.14 inches in High Rolls. Several other locations in and around the Sacramento Mountains reported an inch and a half to 2 inches of rain.

Wider weather episode

The remnants of Tropical Storm Harold moved through southern Texas and into the Borderland on August 23. While the storm weakened significantly, some convective thunderstorm bands developed over Otero county on the afternoon of the 23rd and dropped over 3 inches of rain in La Luz. The heavy rainfall was also blamed for a landslide that occurred along Highway 82 near High Rolls during the early morning hours of the 24th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.9989, -105.9606)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1129753. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.