The air mass for this day was not one that necessarily suggested flash flooding with surface temperatures in the mid to upper 90s and dew points in the lower 50s, but light and variable winds in the mid levels moved the storms very little.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.
The air mass for this day was not one that necessarily suggested flash flooding with surface temperatures in the mid to upper 90s and dew points in the lower 50s, but light and variable winds in the mid levels moved the storms very little.
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:45 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Slow moving storms near Jal produced heavy rains and caused flooding on State Highway 128 east of Jal. The Highway Dept. posted "High Water" signs, but did not close the highway.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, July 1997
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: 5611003.