Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in New Mexico, September 20 to 21, 1997

Name: Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in New Mexico, September 20 to 21, 1997
Start: 1997-09-20T13:00
End: 1997-09-21T18:00
Location: New Mexico

September 20 to 21, 1997 · NWS ABQ · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Heavy rains developed over much of New Mexico as tropical moisture streamed northeast from the Pacific on the 20th and 21st. Amounts ranged 2 to 4 inches during the period of 24 to 48 hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 rains developed over much of New Mexico as tropical moisture streamed northeast from the Pacific on the 20th and 21st. Amounts ranged 2 to 4 inches during the period of 24 to 48 hours. Heavy storm water runoff produced significant bridge and road damage across central Cibola County, central Socorro County and northern San Juan County. The historic La Joya Acequia (irrigation) system in Socorro County, which dates back nearly 400 years to Spanish colonial days, suffered heavy damage. Flash flooding was also reported near the Gila Hot Springs National Monument in south central Catron County, but the most significant flooding occurred to the south in Grant County.

The radar

The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Cibola (C)

When: September 20, 1:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where: Cibola (C) County, Grants
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 34.913, -108.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Socorro

When: September 20, 1:00 PM MST to September 21, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Socorro County, Socorro
Property damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 34.007, -106.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, San Juan

When: September 20, 6:00 PM MST to September 21, 6:00 AM MST
Where: San Juan County, Navajo Dam
Coordinates: 36.509, -108.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Catron

When: September 21, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Catron County, 40 mi E of Glenwood
Coordinates: 33.915, -108.405 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, September 1997

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: 5617509, 5617510, 5617511, 5617512.