New Mexico, 2002

Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, August 1, 2002

August 1, 2002 · NWS MAF · 2 events in 1 county or zone

moved west into Lea County New Mexico. Damaging winds and significant flash flooding resulted.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$125,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 MAF wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms which impacted the western Permian Basin in Texas during the evening of the 1st...moved west into Lea County New Mexico. Damaging winds and significant flash flooding resulted.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 1, 9:05 PM MST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 1, 9:05 PM MST, 1 hour before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
1105 PM CDT THU AUG 1 2002

SENT A QUICK UPDATE TO REARRANGE POPS...WITH BULK OF PRECIPITATION
OVER NORTHERN PERMIAN BASIN INTO SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO.  COLLISION
OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES OVER GAINES COUNTIES YIELDING LARGE AREA OF
SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS...WITH NON-SEVERE WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN UP
TO TWO INCHES PER HOUR.  ACTIVITY WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE TO SPREAD
WEST AS ADDITIONAL CONVECTION DEVELOPS UNDER MID LEVEL SHEAR AXIS AND
FROM COLLISIONS OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES.

.MAF...
TX...NONE.
NM...NONE.

AKL

The radar

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:06 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lea

When
August 1, 10:05 PM MST
Where
Lea County, 1 mi E of Eunice
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
32.433, -103.133

Large trees were blown down just east of Eunice by severe thunderstorm winds.

Flash Flood, Lea

When
August 1, 10:10 PM MST to 10:45 PM MST
Where
Lea County, Eunice
Property damage
$125,000
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
32.792, -103.412 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Eunice Fire Dept. reported flash flooding which resulted in high water entering numerous homes in the city. No injuries were reported.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2002

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: 5315215, 5315214.