Flash Flood in New Mexico, September 13, 1996

Name: Flash Flood in New Mexico, September 13, 1996
Start: 1996-09-13T16:30
End: 1996-09-13T18:30
Location: New Mexico

September 13, 1996 · NWS ABQ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rain caused arroyos in and near Polvadera to run at their highest levels in years according to local residents. Mud and debris over some roads was 3 feet deep.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ABQ wrote it up.

Heavy rain caused arroyos in and near Polvadera to run at their highest levels in years according to local residents. Mud and debris over some roads was 3 feet deep. It took county road and railroad crews nearly a week to reopen all roads and track.

The radar

The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Socorro

When: September 13, 4:30 PM MST to 6:30 PM MST
Where: Socorro County, Polvadera
Coordinates: 34.007, -106.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, September 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5568517.