Flash Flood — San Juan, New Mexico

2025-06-02 · near Kirtland, San Juan, New Mexico

Event narrative

Numerous reports of water, debris, rocks, and mud over roadways, prompting closures. Several portions of NM 170, La Plata Highway, and N 36, Upper Fruitland Highway, were impacted.

Wider weather episode

An upper low moved across the desert southwest June 1st into June 2nd helping to pull up higher moisture from former Tropical Storm Alvin in the eastern Pacific. Widespread showers and storms developed across New Mexico during the day June 2nd as the upper low moved into the state. Storms resulted in severe wind gusts in Clovis, penny size hail and flash flooding in Albuquerque and Farmington. Flash flooding in the north diversion arroyo channel in east central Albuquerque resulted in a fatality. Storms across the state tapered off after sunset with the loss of daytime heating and the system exiting east of the state. A 2nd upper low approached the state on June 3rd resulting in the diurnal development of storms across the Four Corners area. Storms brought quarter size hail and flash flooding to the Farmington area.

Another round of showers and storms developed across western NM on June 4th as the upper low entered the state. These storms moved east across the state bringing flash flooding and large hail to parts of the middle Rio Grande Valley and east central New Mexico during the afternoon and evening hours before exiting into the Texas Panhandle just before midnight. More rounds of severe storms developed along the dryline across far eastern New Mexico during the late afternoon and evening hours of June 5th and 6th. These storms brought large hail 1 to 2 inches in diameter to Curry and Roosevelt Counties both days and western Union County on June 6th. Additionally, several brief tornadoes were observed across east central and southeast Roosevelt County on June 5th.

Key Impacts: Hail, Flash Flood, Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm Wind Gust.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.7177, -108.3301)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1251214. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.