Alert archive / New Mexico / Flash Flood Warnings in 1992

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Albuquerque, NM

May 22, 1992Sierra County, New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this flash flood warning at May 22, 1992, 10:59 PM MDT for Sierra County, New Mexico. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 22, 1992, 10:59 PM MDT (04:59 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 1992, 3:00 AM MDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Albuquerque, NM
Area
Whole counties

County Sierra County, NM

The nearest sounding before it

El Paso Intl Airport, TX (KELP), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 166 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, El Paso Intl Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 1992-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 390 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, El Paso Intl Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 1992-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 66 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
390 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3080 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KABQ 230501
FFWABQ
NMC051-230900-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
1059 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 AM MDT
FOR PEOPLE...
 
IN SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO
 
   ...SIERRA COUNTY
 
AT 1045 PM MDT THE SHERIFFS OFFICE IN TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE
REPORTED THAT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
HAD MOVED ACROSS TRUTH OF CONSEQUENCE DURING THE PAST HOUR.
THIS CAUSE A ROCK SLIDE ON HIGHWAY 51.
 
AT 1045 PM MDT RADAR INDICATED ANOTHER BAND OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHERN SIERRA COUNTY.  THIS
BAND WAS MOVING NORTHWARD AT 30 TO 35 MPH.  SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXTENDED SOUTHWARD INTO WEST TEXAS AND
THESE WERE MOVING NORTHWARD.  SO PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN WILL
BE POSSILBE OVER SIERRA COUNTY FOR THE NEXT 2 TO 3 HOURS AND
WITH THE GROUND ALREADY SATURATED...FLASH FLOODING OF LOW
LYING AREAS AND ARROYOS WILL BE POSSIBLE.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A
SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 22, 5:44 PM MDT, 5 hours 15 minutes before
NMZALL-AZZALL-UTZ008-011-COZ003>010-015>017-TXZ050-052-230200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
530 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1992

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND
   SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO UNTIL 8 PM MDT TONIGHT...

AT 530 PM MDT...IN NEW MEXICO...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COVERED THE
NORTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST QUARTERS OF THE STATE WITH ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHWEST VALLEYS AND 20 MILES WEST OF RATON.
HEAVIEST WERE 15 MILES SOUTH OF CHAMA AND NEAR CORONA AND ZUNI.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

IN ARIZONA...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE EASTERN HALF
OF THE STATE AND WERE ISOLATED OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

IN FAR WEST TEXAS...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN
GUADALUPE PEAK...WINK AND PRESIDO. HEAVIEST WAS NEAR PECOS.

IN COLORAOD...THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCALTTERED OVER THE WEST CENTRAL
VALLEYS.

IN SOUTHEAST UTAH...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTOMS WERE FROM MOAB TO
BLANDING.
Special weather statement, May 22, 6:00 PM MDT, 4 hours 59 minutes before
NMC001-006-019-057-161-230100
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
600 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1992

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR BERNALILLO...EASTERN CIBOLA...GUADALUPE...
NORTHERN TORRANCE AND VALENCIA COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCEL.

HOWEVER A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOCCORO COUNTY IN
THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...THE SOUTHCENTRAL VALLEY...THE
SOUTHCENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE SOUTHEASTERN
PLAINS UNTIL 8 PM MDT...

AT 530 PM MDT...RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COVERED THE
NORTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST QUARTERS OF THE STATE WITH ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHWEST VALLEYS AND 20 MILES WEST OF RATON.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY
DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING HOURS...BUT A FEW WILL LIKELY LINGER
PAST MIDNIGHT.

EBM
Special weather statement, May 22, 6:45 PM MDT, 4 hours 14 minutes before
NMZALL-AZZALL-UTZ008-011-COZ003>010-015>017-TXZ050-052-230200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
630 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1992

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND
   SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO UNTIL 8 PM MDT TONIGHT...

AT 630 PM MDT...IN NEW MEXICO...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER
THE CENTER HALF OF THE STATE RUNNING FROM THE NORTHWEST TO THE
SOUTHEAST. WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE SOUTHWEST
VALLEYS. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

IN ARIZONA...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER THE EASTERN
HALF OF THE STATE AND WERE ISOLATED OVER THE SOUTHWEST DESERTS. MOVEMENT
WAS NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

IN FAR WEST TEXAS...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN
GUADALUPE PEAK...WINK AND PRESIDO. LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS NOTED.

IN COLORADO...THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER THE WEST CENTRAL
VALLEYS AND ISOLATEDQ OVER THE FOUR CORNERS. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 20
MILES AN HOUR.

IN SOUTHEAST UTAH...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTOMS WERE NEAR MOAB AND
SOUTH OF BLANDING. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 22, 7:20 PM MDT, 3 hours 39 minutes before
NMC027-053-057-230200
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
720 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1992

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EDDY...LEA...LINCOLN...
SOCORRO AND SOUTHERN TORRANCE COUNTIES.

HOWEVER A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHCENTRAL
VALLEY...THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE SOUTHCENTRAL MOUNTAINS UNTIL
8 PM MDT.

AT 630 PM MDT...RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER
GHE CENTRAL HALF OsF THE STATE RUNNING FROM THE NORTHWEST TO THE
SOUTHEAST.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY
DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING HOURS...BUT A FEW WILL LIKELY LINGER
PAST MIDNIGHT.
EBM

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New Mexico, 1992Every flash flood warning in 1992

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.