Debris Flow in Lincoln County, New Mexico

Moderate to heavy rain on the Ruidoso area burn scars resulted in some flash flooding and debris across and downstream of the burn scars, especially along the Rio Ruidoso and Cedar Creek. Water was reported overtopping Cedar Creek Drive near Sam Tobias Campground, Mechem Drive at Brady Canyon Road, Gavilan Canyon Road north of Sudderth Drive (Highway 70) and Sudderth Drive itself in Hollywood. Some debris flow with a 3 foot wall of mud was also observed on Main Road at McDaniel Drive along with possible evidence of a landslide off Flume Ridge.

A new multi-day plume of monsoon moisture advected northward into New Mexico between an upper level trough over the southern Baja Peninsula and an upper high over the south-central CONUS. Daily rounds of afternoon thunderstorms producing heavy rain developing over the mountains of New Mexico before moving over surrounding lower elevations through the evening resulted in several events of flash flooding and isolated reports of large hail. Rainfall rates of 4 inches per hour totaling 2 inches in 30 minutes produced flash flooding in Magdalena on July 20th. The Cochiti Golf Course experienced flash flooding July 21st. The highest coverage of thunderstorms during this period occurred July 22nd with thunderstorms moving over the Ruidoso area burn scars just after sunset. Flash flooding and debris flows on and below the South Fork and Salt burn scars resulted in brief road closures. The Albuquerque metro experienced flash flooding from heavy rainfall rates of 2 inches per hour totaling 1 to 1.50 inches in 30 minutes over the North Valley neighborhood. Finally, thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall on July 24th directly over the South Fork burn scar totaling just over 2 inches produced flash flooding and debris flows down Cedar Creek and the Rio Ruidoso to Ruidoso Downs.