Flood in San Miguel County, New Mexico

A trained spotter reported that flooding from the rain on snow event that had ended on earlier in the week was continuing due to the fast warm-up in temperatures exacerbating the snowmelt. Flood impacts included streams and creeks overtopping area highways near Pendaries between Mora and Rociada and along the Sapello River.

A late season winter storm event from May 4th through the 6th dumped two to three feet of snow across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This event was followed by a rain on snow event from May 5th through the 8th in which flooding was experienced across a large section of the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from areas around Mora, to Las Vegas, to Mineral Hill. A fast warmup in temperatures continued beyond May 8th to May 11th exacerbating the snowmelt in the area, allowing for flood impacts to persist in areas around Mora to Rociada.

Key Word: Snowmelt Flooding.