Flash Flood — San Juan, New Mexico

2010-08-01 · near Farmington, San Juan, New Mexico

Event narrative

Significant flooding plagued the Farmington area during the evening hours of August 1st. More than 2.5 inches of rain fell in 3 hours, but most of the rain fell in about a 30 minute time frame. Some of the hardest hit areas are described in the following paragraphs.

The Webb Chevrolet-Toyota dealership and neighboring businesses along East Main Street between Gila St. and Hannon Dr. was described as a swamp. Weeds and shrubs were wrapped around the tires of each truck as water, mud and debris flooded into the lot. The force of the water moved one truck about six feet, and moved a nearby dumpster approximately 100 yards. Also in this area, a man whose car got stuck at the intersection of Cliffside Dr. and East Main got trapped in shallow, quick moving water. The man was rescued by firefighters and was unharmed.

Near the intersection of Largo St. and Railroad St., water was estimated to be 6 to 12 inches deep at the height of the event. Water damage was evident to at least two residences.

An arroyo that crosses Hubbard St. near Peace Valley Road was flowing over the roadway. A high school senior attempted to drive through the waters, when her car was washed away. Her car traveled approximately 80 yards down the arroyo before she was rescued. She was unharmed, but her car was destroyed. After the waters receded, it became evident that Peace Valley Road was partially eroded away beneath the pavement.

Due to a holding pond that overflowed, five homes around the Country Club suffered significant damage, including one basement that was completely filled with water. Most of these homes were filled with no less than 6 inches of water on the ground level, resulting in damage of carpet, tile and other objects or furniture that was on the floor. Landscaping was completely eroded away, and fence lines were downed.

A mudslide was also reported on County Road 3000 at mile marker 9.5. The road was impassible until the mud was cleaned off the road.

Wider weather episode

An intense thunderstorm complex that developed southeast of the Farmington area shortly before 7 pm MST moved northwest into the Four Corners region through 9 pm MST. Significant flash flooding was reported across Farmington and nearby areas as rainfall rates exceeded 2 inches per hour.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.7348, -108.1812)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 237978. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.