Thunderstorm Wind — Sierra, New Mexico

2015-08-17 · near Elephant Butte, Sierra, New Mexico

$1.1M

Property damage

61 EG

Magnitude

Event narrative

Storm survey revealed numerous boats damaged at Marina Del Sur on the south end of Elephant Butte Lake. A couple of metal roofs covering the boats were torn off and/or collapsed and concrete slabs anchoring down the structures were pulled out of the water. An eyewitness described a downburst lasting 15 minutes with torrential rainfall and zero visibility. Property damage was in excess of $1 million.

Wider weather episode

An upper high continued to sit over Southern Arizona with northerly flow across Southern New Mexico. Moderate moisture remained in place across the region with dew points in the lower 50s and a surface trough across the Rio Grande Valley. A severe thunderstorm developed over the southern portion of Elephant Butte Lake and produced estimated wind gusts over 70 mph and did significant damage at the marina.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.1765, -107.2006)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 598381. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.