Flash Flood — Torrance, New Mexico

2021-09-04 · near Moriarty, Torrance, New Mexico

Event narrative

One to two inches of heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in Moriarty. Torrance County Dispatch reported torrential rainfall with a severe thunderstorm crossing Interstate 40 near Moriarty. Visibility was near zero which forced many travelers to pull off the road. Several Moriarty residents reported flood damage from the heavy rainfall. The water continued to flow southward through McIntosh and even caused Estancia Park Lake to overfill its banks. The extent of damages is unknown, therefore, damage amounts are a rough estimate.

Wider weather episode

Atmospheric moisture values remained high across southern and eastern New Mexico on September 4, 2021, which led to another active monsoon day across the area. As an area of high pressure built over the Great Basin, much drier air filtered into the state from the north which led to warmer and drier conditions for the northwest quadrant of the state. Meanwhile, a backdoor cold front that moved through the east earlier in the day replenished low-level moisture across the plains, and the boundary provided instability that allowed for stronger thunderstorms. Roswell, which has already seen yearly rainfall totals above average, measured another one to three inches of rain which led to flash flooding and numerous water rescues in the city. A severe thunderstorm also impacted Moriarty which resulted in thunderstorm wind damage as well as flash flooding.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.0161, -106.0339)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 971605. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.