Flash Flood in Lincoln County, New Mexico

Heavy rainfall fell over the South Fork burn scar near Ruidoso, with on gage measuring 2.14 inches. Flash flooding produced water over roadways and bridges along Cedar Creek at Mechem Drive, Cree Meadows Bridge and Drive, Innsbrook Drive, Starlite Road, White Mountain Drive, Gavilan Canyon Road, Warren Tucker Drive, Reese Drive, Musketball Drive, and Geneva Road. Three swift water rescues were conducted off Gunpowder Trail and Spring Canyon Road. A video was shared of what appears to be a mobile home washed away down Cedar Creek along Paradise Canyon Drive. The Rio Ruidoso crested to 12.68 feet in minor flood stage at 12:40pm MST, reaching out of its banks in numerous locations. Flash flooding impacted as far down Rio Ruidoso as the Ruidoso Downs Race Track.

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.