Hail — Valencia, New Mexico

2017-09-30 · near Rio Communities, Valencia, New Mexico

Event narrative

Hail up to the size of ping pong balls near Rio Communities.

Wider weather episode

The potent upper low pressure system responsible for severe thunderstorms and flooding over eastern New Mexico between the 22nd and 25th began lifting slowly northeast into the central Rockies on the 26th and 27th. Daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall, hail, and strong winds began spreading westward to include much of central and western New Mexico through this period. This additional heavy rainfall set the stage for a more widespread flooding event through the end of September. Widespread three day rainfall reports averaged between two and five inches within central New Mexico. Several stations reported record daily rainfall amounts and placed September 2017 into the top 5 wettest Septembers on record. A potent storm that moved across Rio Rancho late on the 28th forced water into four homes along Arlene Road. A cluster of thunderstorms with torrential rainfall moved across western New Mexico during the early afternoon hours on the 29th and produced flash flooding around Farmington and Acoma Pueblo. These storms then shifted eastward and produced severe hail and flash flooding along much of the Interstate 25 corridor between Los Lunas, Belen, and Bernardo. Interstate 25 was closed for several hours as water flooded over the highway. Powerful storms developed again on the 30th and produced more flash flooding, severe hail, high winds, and even a tornado west of Albuquerque.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.6446, -106.7139)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 717853. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.