Flash Flood — San Juan, New Mexico

2021-08-15 · near Aztec Muni Arpt, San Juan, New Mexico

Event narrative

Heavy rain near Aztec resulted in the flooding of an arroyo which rendered San Juan County Road 3073 unpassable as fast-moving water flowed over the roadway. Damages are estimated.

Wider weather episode

An abundant amount of moisture in place over northern and central New Mexico led to another active monsoon day on August 15, 2021. With southerly flow at the surface and northerly flow aloft, shear profiles were more supportive for stronger thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Thunderstorms initially formed over the high terrain of Colorado and New Mexico by early afternoon before propagating southward through the evening hours. Thunderstorms that tracked southward through Colorado and into northern New Mexico were the strongest thunderstorms of the day and produced the heaviest rainfall amounts of one to two inches. Flash flooding was reported near Aztec where fast-moving water over a roadway made it impassable. Flash flooding was also reported in Ojo Caliente where flood waters reportedly entered a mobile home.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.8530, -108.0203)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 966913. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.