New Mexico, 1999

Flash Flood in New Mexico, July 5, 1999

July 5, 1999 · NWS EPZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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.

The radar

The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:40 UTC.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Otero

When
July 5, 2:40 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Otero County, La Luz
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
32.613, -105.742 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy thunderstorm rains caused extensive flooding of several canyons near La Luz, with flooding extending to most roads in the area. U.S. Highway 54 was covered by 2 feet of water and a foot of mud, and was closed between Alamogrodo and Tularosa for 90 minutes. A weather spotter measured 3.5 inches of rain in La Luz, with higher amounts estimated in the nearby canyons. There were no injuries or deaths.

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

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, July 1999

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: 5711881.