Flash Flood — Bernalillo, New Mexico

2024-08-09 · near Kirtland Afb, Bernalillo, New Mexico

Event narrative

The Albuquerque Fire Department rescued an injured man and a dog in 7 feet of water in an arroyo channel. A second man was spotted lifeless moving down the North Diversion Channel near Menaul Blvd. and eventually Osuna Road. His body was recovered in the North Valley outfall of the channel. Rainfall of 0.50 to 1.40 was reported upstream of the arroyo channel.

Wider weather episode

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. Showers and storms developed across the northern and central mountains midday spreading to surrounding lower elevations later in the day. Heavy rainfall from storms resulted in flash flooding on the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar and across the East Mountains and Central Highlands. Outflow from storms over the East Mountains and Central Highlands reinforced the backdoor front through the gaps of the central mountain chain bringing a high east canyon wind to the Rio Grande Valley during the mid evening hours. Storms across eastern New Mexico gradually dissipated before sunrise August 9th. Another round of showers and storms developed across northern and western NM during the afternoon hours of August 9th. Some of these storms produced flash flooding and severe thunderstorm wind gusts across parts of northern, central and eastern New Mexico.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.0911, -106.5499)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1193100. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.