Flash Flood — Mckinley, New Mexico

2015-07-13 · near Springstead, Mckinley, New Mexico

Direct deaths

$15K

Property damage

Event narrative

A truck was found crushed by a large boulder at the base of a 30-ft deep arroyo in Superman Canyon. The body of the man operating the vehicle was discovered 3 miles downstream at White Cliff.

Wider weather episode

Showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall developed along the Interstate 40 corridor between Gallup and the Continental Divide. Slow-moving thunderstorms produced 1 to 2 inches of rainfall over already saturated soils in the area. A particularly intense burst of rainfall to the northeast of Gallup, New Mexico resulted in a flash flood within Superman Canyon. Local law enforcement determined that the body of a man found several miles downstream from a crushed pickup truck was the result of this flash flood.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.5976, -108.5798)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 585781. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.