Flash Flood — Santa Fe, New Mexico

2021-07-31 · near Madrid, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Event narrative

A National Weather Service employee in Madrid measured 1.85 inches of rain from a thunderstorm producing heavy rain. This led to flash flooding along New Mexico State Road 14 in Madrid and south of Los Cerillos along with mud and other debris washed onto the roadway. Damages are a rough estimate.

Wider weather episode

With an area of high pressure over the central Great Plains, drier air filtering into eastern New Mexico limited thunderstorm potential in the area for several days. A backdoor cold front moving south and west through the area on July 31, 2021, finally brought an increase in moisture and reinvigorated thunderstorm chances. This boundary moved through northeast and east central New Mexico through the early afternoon on July 31st before sweeping through the Rio Grande Valley late that night. This resulted in an increase in thunderstorm coverage across the area and also increased chances for heavy rainfall and flash flooding. The Luna burn scar was once again impacted with heavy rain resulting in rapid runoff in Luna Canyon. Flash flooding was also reported in Madrid along New Mexico State Road 14 which left behind mud and other debris along the roadway.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.3789, -106.1863)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 964038. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.