Alert archive / New Mexico / Flash Flood Warnings in 2023
Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Albuquerque, NM
NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this flash flood warning at May 20, 2023, 7:45 PM MDT for Mora County, San Miguel 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 counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 20, 2023, 7:45 PM MDT (01:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 2023, 10:45 PM MDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Albuquerque, NM
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Damage threat
- Considerable
- Flood severity
- None
Counties Mora County, NM, San Miguel County, NM
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.
NWS Albuquerque, NM wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at May 20, 5:10 PM MDT, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 20, 5:10 PM MDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 510 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 323 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023 Scattered showers and thunderstorms across western and northern New Mexico will fizzle out around midnight. Warmer temperatures are expected on Sunday with another round of afternoon thunderstorms. Localized heavy rainfall will be possible with any cells that do develop, increasing the risk for burn scar flash flooding. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms are possible each day of the work week, favoring the high terrain. Temperatures will be below normal Sunday and Monday, trending near seasonal averages for the rest of the week. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Sunday night) Issued at 323 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023 Flow around a weak closed low over southern AZ is providing a bit of a boost to today's round of convection. Storm motion in western and central NM has increased today, with shower and storm movement to the northeast ranging from 20-25 kts. Effective bulk shear continues to remain just a tad too low for more organized thunderstorms in western NM. Latest SPC mesoanalysis showing effective bulk shear is mostly below 30kts areawide. The shear is just high enough and with plentiful low and mid level moisture in place, a quasi-line of moderately strong thunderstorms will likely remain in tact as they move into the RGV. Hail, wet microbursts and strong outflow winds are the most likely threats from this line as it translates east- northeastward later this afternoon and evening. Models agree this line will continue to propagate through about midnight before dissipating. Showers and storms shift focus to northern and eastern NM Sunday afternoon and evening. Models continue to retrograde the above mentioned low over AZ as well as a weak low over CO. The CO low is forecast to retrograde as well, resulting in more showers and storms for northern and eastern NM. Effective bulk shear remains a limiter Sunday with brief strong storm possible but likely not severe for more than a brief time given that the flow aloft is not northwesterly. && .LONG TERM... (Monday through Friday) Issued at 323 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023 Disorganized pattern continues to reign supreme in the long term. Predominantly zonal flow aloft will allow for some drying on Monday, bringing near record PWATs down to 0.3 and 0.5 inches across most locales. This will have a major hand in limiting afternoon convection to the recycled moisture of the high terrain. The trend will continue into Tuesday as weak high pressure builds over NM. With the rise in pressure heights, locales areawide will see an increase to daytime highs of a few degrees compared to Monday. Showers and thunderstorms will favor the northern Sangre de Cristos in the afternoon. A slug of Gulf moisture begins to run up the spine of the upper level ridge on Thursday, allowing for an increase of afternoon showers and thunderstorms across the centrals mts and eastward. Meanwhile, an upper level trough begins to push inland from the Pacific. The ridge will begin breaking down Thursday night into Friday. Model consistency at this point becomes lackluster regarding the evolution of the disturbance. The GFS brings the upper low quickly across the northern border of the Desert Southwest, swinging it into CO by Sunday morning. The ECMWF presents a slower solution, transitioning the low into an open wave in the Great Basin around the same timeframe. The discrepancies of the system's timing make for a challenging forecast towards the end of the long term. The faster version would bringer stronger winds to northern and central NM Saturday. Overall, did not stray too far from the NBM, making minor adjustments to winds in the Friday to Saturday timeframe. Temperatures start out below normal on Monday, but warm with the upper level ridge on Tuesday. Temperatures will then trend generally near normal through the remainder of the week. && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 510 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023 Weak upper low over AZ embedded in a weak trough extending newd into CO continues to drift nwd. Sct showers and tstms over northern NM and through the RGV and central mt chain at 23Z to continue moving ne to east. Brief hail, locally heavy rain and variable wind gusts to around 40kt are possible with the stronger storms as well as lcl MVFR cigs/vsbys obscuring higher terrain. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 323 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023 More daily rounds of mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms will continue most areas Sunday, shifting to northern and eastern NM Monday and Tuesday. Drier air moves into the southern half or so of the state both days on increasing southwest winds. The increased winds in western and central areas Thursday through Saturday are the result of high pressure building overhead. This ridge shifts east of NM Thursday through Saturday with dry air moving into western and central NM and dryline thunderstorms east, a pattern much more like typical May weather. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 49 76 50 78 / 20 40 20 30 Dulce........................... 39 72 39 72 / 20 70 30 60 Cuba............................ 45 70 45 72 / 30 70 40 50 Gallup.......................... 42 72 42 75 / 40 50 20 30 El Morro........................ 43 70 43 71 / 40 60 30 40 Grants.......................... 40 73 41 75 / 40 60 30 40 Quemado......................... 43 72 44 74 / 50 50 30 40 Magdalena....................... 47 71 49 74 / 50 60 30 50 Datil........................... 45 69 46 72 / 40 60 30 40 Reserve......................... 39 77 40 78 / 30 50 10 20 Glenwood........................ 51 81 53 83 / 30 40 10 20 Chama........................... 37 66 37 66 / 30 80 50 70 Los Alamos...................... 48 68 49 69 / 30 80 50 60 Pecos........................... 46 70 46 70 / 30 80 50 70 Cerro/Questa.................... 45 65 44 65 / 30 70 40 80 Red River....................... 39 60 37 58 / 40 90 60 80 Angel Fire...................... 34 62 35 63 / 30 90 60 80 Taos............................ 40 71 39 71 / 20 70 30 70 Mora............................ 42 68 40 67 / 20 80 50 70 Espanola........................ 48 76 48 75 / 20 70 40 60 Santa Fe........................ 49 71 49 70 / 30 80 50 60 Santa Fe Airport................ 47 74 47 74 / 30 70 40 50 Albuquerque Foothills........... 55 78 55 77 / 30 50 50 40 Albuquerque Heights............. 54 79 54 79 / 30 50 40 40 Albuquerque Valley.............. 51 81 51 82 / 30 50 40 40 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 53 80 52 79 / 30 50 40 40 Belen........................... 50 81 50 82 / 40 50 30 40 Bernalillo...................... 53 81 53 79 / 30 50 40 40 Bosque Farms.................... 50 81 49 82 / 40 50 40 40 Corrales........................ 53 81 52 80 / 30 50 40 40 Los Lunas....................... 51 81 51 82 / 40 50 40 40 Placitas........................ 52 76 53 76 / 30 50 40 40 Rio Rancho...................... 53 79 53 78 / 30 50 40 40 Socorro......................... 52 81 53 83 / 50 50 40 40 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 49 70 49 71 / 40 60 50 50 Tijeras......................... 46 73 46 74 / 40 50 50 50 Edgewood........................ 42 73 42 74 / 30 50 50 50 Moriarty/Estancia............... 42 74 41 76 / 30 50 40 50 Clines Corners.................. 45 71 44 72 / 40 50 50 60 Mountainair..................... 45 73 45 75 / 40 40 40 50 Gran Quivira.................... 46 73 47 75 / 50 50 40 60 Carrizozo....................... 52 78 54 80 / 40 50 30 40 Ruidoso......................... 47 70 47 73 / 40 60 40 40 Capulin......................... 43 68 43 67 / 50 80 30 70 Raton........................... 43 73 42 73 / 40 80 30 60 Springer........................ 44 75 43 74 / 30 80 30 60 Las Vegas....................... 45 72 44 72 / 20 80 40 60 Clayton......................... 50 76 50 74 / 50 70 50 50 Roy............................. 47 74 47 73 / 20 80 40 60 Conchas......................... 52 82 52 82 / 10 70 50 50 Santa Rosa...................... 51 79 50 79 / 10 60 50 40 Tucumcari....................... 54 81 52 82 / 5 50 60 40 Clovis.......................... 55 77 53 82 / 5 50 60 40 Portales........................ 54 79 52 84 / 5 40 50 40 Fort Sumner..................... 53 81 52 83 / 5 50 50 40 Roswell......................... 58 85 57 89 / 10 50 30 30 Picacho......................... 50 76 50 81 / 20 60 30 40 Elk............................. 47 75 47 79 / 30 60 30 30 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...33 LONG TERM....12 AVIATION...99
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 20, 3:02 PM MDT, 4 hours 43 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
302 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023
NMZ219-202130-
Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area-
302 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
VALENCIA AND BERNALILLO COUNTIES THROUGH 330 PM MDT...
At 302 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9
miles west of Isleta Pueblo, or 10 miles northwest of Los Lunas,
moving northeast at 15 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Albuquerque, Isleta Pueblo and South Valley.
This includes the following highways...
Interstate 40 between Mile Markers 143 and 154.
Interstate 25 between Mile Markers 209 and 222.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy
building.
&&
LAT...LON 3481 10683 3493 10700 3518 10680 3500 10656
TIME...MOT...LOC 2102Z 221DEG 14KT 3493 10686
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
12Local storm report, May 20, 3:32 PM MDT, 4 hours 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
332 PM MDT SAT MAY 20 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0245 PM HAIL 1 NNE SOCORRO 34.07N 106.90W
05/20/2023 E1.00 INCH SOCORRO NM EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
ANMSpecial weather statement, May 20, 3:56 PM MDT, 3 hours 49 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Albuquerque NM
356 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023
NMZ224-202230-
South Central Highlands-
356 PM MDT Sat May 20 2023
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN SOCORRO
AND SOUTHWESTERN TORRANCE COUNTIES THROUGH 430 PM MDT...
At 356 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 10
miles south of Abo, or 35 miles southeast of Belen, moving northeast
at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Abo.
This includes Highway 60 between Mile Markers 196 and 201.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If threatening weather approaches your area, take shelter in a sturdy
building.
Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to
localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.
&&
LAT...LON 3432 10646 3451 10630 3451 10629 3432 10607
3419 10632
TIME...MOT...LOC 2156Z 227DEG 8KT 3431 10633
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
12Special weather statement, May 20, 6:42 PM MDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, May 20, 7:30 PM MDT, 15 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Albuquerque, NM issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 6:42 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | ABQ | Colfax | 33 min |
| May 20, 7:02 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Colfax | 28 min |
| May 20, 7:30 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | ABQ | Colfax | 30 min |
| May 20, 7:42 PM MDT | Areal Flood Advisory | ABQ | Colfax | 3 hr |
| May 20, 8:16 PM MDT | Areal Flood Advisory | ABQ | McKinley | 3 hr |
| May 20, 8:37 PM MDT | Areal Flood Advisory | ABQ | Colfax, Union | 3 hr |
| May 21, 2:48 AM MDT | Flood Watch | ABQ | Colfax, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos | 18 hr |
| May 21, 1:42 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | ABQ | Bernalillo | 48 min |
| May 21, 1:46 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ABQ | Bernalillo, Valencia | 44 min |
| May 21, 2:37 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | ABQ | Bernalillo | 23 min |
| May 21, 2:39 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | ABQ | Bernalillo | 36 min |
| May 21, 3:37 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | ABQ | Santa Fe | 38 min |
| May 21, 3:59 PM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | ABQ | Mora, Taos | 3 hr |
| May 21, 4:15 PM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | ABQ | Rio Arriba, San Juan | 3 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in New Mexico, 2023Every flash flood warning in 2023
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text.