Heavy rains continued through the overnight/early morning hours until midday. Very heavy amounts of rainfall were observed by both COOP observers and indicated by 88D precipitation products.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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.
Heavy rains continued through the overnight/early morning hours until midday. Very heavy amounts of rainfall were observed by both COOP observers and indicated by 88D precipitation products. A swath of ten to twelve inch rainfall totals was observed across Lea County. Flash Flooding was a concern through most of the day. The hardest hit areas were those in and around the city of Carlsbad.
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, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
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 Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:59 UTC.
4 flash flood, 2 flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
An NWS COOP rainfall observer reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 6.00 inches.
Minor street flooding was reported by the Eunice PD.
Law officials reported that up to four feet of water was over the Old Caverns Highway at Misty Lane.
Local officials reported at least a foot of water covering Hildalgo Street near Dark Canyon just off of Highway 180 throughout a large part of the daylight hours.
Law officials reported flash flooding of low lying areas in the city of Lovington.
Officials reported that high water was running in numerous low water crossings in and around the city of Carlsbad.
Law officials reported that Black River flooded over Higby Hole Road, near the intersection of State Route 134 and Highway 285.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2002
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: 5315220, 5315219, 5315217, 5315221, 5315218, 5315222, 5315223.