Flash Flood — Colfax, New Mexico

2015-06-27 · near Eagle Nest, Colfax, New Mexico

Event narrative

New Mexico Department of Transportation closed US Highway 64 as heavy rain caused debris, boulders and a mud slide to cover several miles of the road. Philmont Scout Ranch also reported major flash flooding on the Ponil Creek basin that ran through a boy scout camp site in the nearby mountains. The flooding washed away 4 boys, killing 1.

Wider weather episode

A backdoor cold front along with northerly flow aloft boosted moisture across northern New Mexico on the 27th. A disturbance within that northerly flow kicked off early morning showers and thunderstorms along and east of the central mountains, moving slowly to the south. Rainfall amounts between half an inch and an inch were common with these storms, with up to 2.2 inches recorded in the Ute Park area. Heavy rains between Eagle Nest and Cimarron caused localized flash flooding that led to 1 fatality at Philmont Scout Ranch and the closure of US Highway 64 for nearly 36 hours. A second round of storms developed by the early afternoon, mainly along and west of the central mountain chain. A couple storms became severe near Jemez Springs and Sandia Park, producing up to half dollar size hail. The severe storm south of Jemez Springs also produced flash flooding that closed state road 485 and forest service road 376 as well as disrupting traffic at low water crossings along state road 4. Major damage was reported to state road 485 from the flood waters.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.5605, -105.2284)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 574362. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.