Alert archive / New Mexico / Flash Flood Warnings in 2021

Flash Flood Warning 72, NWS Albuquerque, NM

August 18, 2021Socorro County, New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this flash flood warning at Aug 18, 2021, 4:21 PM MDT for Socorro County, New Mexico. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Aug 18, 2021, 4:21 PM MDT (22:21 UTC)
Expired: Aug 18, 2021, 7:30 PM MDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Albuquerque, NM
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Socorro County, NM

The radar

The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 138 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:24 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM (KABQ), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 179 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 113 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -124 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1464 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

970 
WGUS55 KABQ 182221
FFWABQ
NMC053-190130-
/O.NEW.KABQ.FF.W.0072.210818T2221Z-210819T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
421 PM MDT Wed Aug 18 2021

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  The Vics Peak Burn Scar in...
  Southwestern Socorro County in central New Mexico...

* Until 730 PM MDT.

* At 421 PM MDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain over the Vics Peak Burn Scar. The expected rainfall 
  rate is 1 inch in 45 minutes. Flash flooding is ongoing or 
  expected to begin shortly.

Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will impact San Mateo Creek, 
Rock Springs Canyon, and other drainages that flow into Alamosa 
Creek and Indian Creek as well as Socorro County Road 033. The 
debris flow can consist of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose 
materials.

  HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms in and around
           the Vics Peak Burn Scar.

  SOURCE...Radar.

  IMPACT...Flooding of areas in and around the Vics Peak Burn
           Scar.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
  mainly rural areas of Southwestern Socorro County

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood 
deaths occur in vehicles.

In hilly or mountainous terrain there are numerous of low water 
crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not 
attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route.

&&

LAT...LON 3370 10739 3360 10742 3356 10747 3348 10749
      3348 10753 3360 10752 3370 10750

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
EXPECTED RAINFALL...1 INCH IN 45 MINUTES

$$

34

2 follow-up statements

502 
WGUS75 KABQ 182329
FFSABQ

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
529 PM MDT Wed Aug 18 2021

NMC053-190130-
/O.CON.KABQ.FF.W.0072.000000T0000Z-210819T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Socorro NM-
529 PM MDT Wed Aug 18 2021

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE VICS PEAK BURN SCAR REMAINS IN EFFECT 
UNTIL 730 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR SOUTHWESTERN SOCORRO COUNTY...

At 529 PM MDT, Doppler radar indicated the thunderstorms that were 
producing heavy rain over the Vics Peak Burn Scar have now shifted 
eastward off the burn scar. However, flash flooding is ongoing or 
expected to begin shortly due to runoff from the earlier heavy rains.

Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will impact San Mateo Creek, 
Rock Springs Canyon, and other drainages that flow into Alamosa 
Creek and Indian Creek as well as Socorro County Road 033. The 
debris flow can consist of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose 
materials.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms in and around the
         Vics Peak Burn Scar.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flooding of areas in and around the Vics Peak Burn Scar.

Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
  mainly rural areas of Southwestern Socorro County

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood 
deaths occur in vehicles.

In hilly or mountainous terrain there are numerous of low water 
crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not 
attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route.

&&

LAT...LON 3370 10739 3360 10742 3356 10747 3348 10749
      3348 10753 3360 10752 3370 10750

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED

$$

34

988 
WGUS75 KABQ 190125
FFSABQ

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
725 PM MDT Wed Aug 18 2021

NMC053-190135-
/O.EXP.KABQ.FF.W.0072.000000T0000Z-210819T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Socorro NM-
725 PM MDT Wed Aug 18 2021

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE VICS PEAK BURN SCAR WILL EXPIRE AT 
730 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR SOUTHWESTERN SOCORRO COUNTY...

The heavy rain has ended. Flooding is no longer expected to pose a 
threat. Please continue to heed any remaining road closures.

LAT...LON 3370 10739 3360 10742 3356 10747 3348 10749
      3348 10753 3360 10752 3370 10750

$$

34

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albuquerque, NM issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 18, 5:33 AM MDT	Dense Fog Advisory	ABQ	Curry, Roosevelt	3 hr
Aug 18, 2:51 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	ABQ	Cibola	24 min
Aug 18, 3:07 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	ABQ	McKinley	3 hr
Aug 18, 3:20 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	ABQ		25 min
Aug 18, 3:31 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	ABQ	Cibola	3 hr
Aug 18, 3:58 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	ABQ	Lincoln	32 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New Mexico, 2021 Every flash flood warning in 2021

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.