Flash Flood — Rio Arriba, New Mexico

2015-06-11 · near Abiquiu, Rio Arriba, New Mexico

Event narrative

County road 155 washed away and culverts destroyed.

Wider weather episode

An unseasonably moisture-rich atmosphere over the Four Corners region combined with a weak upper level low swirling east over the area to produce large hail and flooding. A series of thunderstorms developed immediately west of Farmington during the late morning and intensified rapidly over the area. Golf ball size hail, wall clouds, and flooding were reported. These were some of the strongest storms observed around the Farmington area dating back to the 1950s. Persistent heavy rainfall north of the area for several days in the San Juan Mountains prompted reservoir releases over southwest Colorado. The combination of heavy localized rainfall within the Animas River watershed and releases from Lemon Reservoir forced the Animas River at Farmington to reach minor flood stage for a few hours during the late afternoon and early evening. This was the highest flow observed on the Animas River at Farmington dating back to 2005. Active weather spread east through the remainder of the day with flash flooding around Abiquiu and hail and high winds across the eastern plains.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.2217, -106.2725)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 572292. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.