Flash Flood in New Mexico, September 11 to 12, 2002

Name: Flash Flood in New Mexico, September 11 to 12, 2002
Start: 2002-09-11T13:00
End: 2002-09-12T08:00
Location: New Mexico

September 11 to 12, 2002 · 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $500,000
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.

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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 11, 2:16 AM MST, 10 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 11, 2:16 AM MST, 10 hours 44 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
316 AM MDT WED SEP 11 2002

SYNOPSIS...
A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT OVER NEW MEXICO WILL BEGIN SHIFTING
EAST TODAY AND TONIGHT. RESIDUAL MOISTURE IN THE AREA WILL CONTINUE
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY...AND A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE
NEAR THE ARIZONA BORDER. COOLER AND DRIER AIR ALOFT MOVES IN ON
THURSDAY WITH THE WESTERLIES. THIS WILL CONTINUE ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY...AND AGAIN A FEW MAY
BECOME SEVERE WITH STRONG WINDS AND HAIL. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BECOME
DRIER...BUT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE. A COOL
FRONT MOVES SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT...AND SHOULD LEND A
DRY AND PLEASANT END TO THE WEEKEND.

DISCUSSION...
TRANSITION DAY TODAY AS UPPER HIGH BEGINS SLIDING EAST AND A BIT
DRIER WEST FLOW DEVELOPS. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS SMALL BUT
VIGOROUS VORT CENTER OVER WESTERN ARIZONA...WITH LEAD EDGE OF DRIER
AIR FROM THE VORT DOWN TO FAR SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO. TUESDAY NIGHT
STORMS TENDED TO FIRE OFF ALONG THIS MOISTURE DISCONTINUITY. THIS
DRIER AIR SLOWLY FILTERS INTO WESTERN NEW MEXICO TODAY...COMBINED
WITH SOME DIRECTIONAL SHEAR...A FEW STORMS MAY APPROACH SEVERE
CRITERIA WITH WINDS AND HAIL. WET BULB ZERO TEMPS LOWER TO 13K FEET
MSL TODAY IN THIS AREA AND ACROSS REMAINDER OF AREA THURSDAY. THIS
COULD HELP WITH HAIL PRODUCTION. THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA TO THE EAST
SUSTAINS HIGHER RHS AND PWS SO WILL KEEP SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FOR
THIS AREA.

THURSDAY LOOKS VERY INTERESTING...AS COOL AIR AND CONTINUED DRY AIR
ALOFT MOVE OVER ENTIRE AREA. AIRMASS BECOMES QUITE UNSTABLE WITH
GOOD LI/VT PARAMETERS DUE TO THE COOLING ALOFT. THOUGH JET IS NOT
TOO STRONG...LEFT FRONT QUADRANT MOVES OVER MUCH OF THE CWA TO
POTENTIALLY AID DYNAMICS. DIRECTIONAL SHEAR IS ESPECIALLY GOOD IN
THE EAST. WITH GOOD MODEL CAPE VALUES ADDED INTO THE MIX...I BELIEVE
THE ENTIRE AREA HAS SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...THOUGH
COVERAGE MAY BE LESS DUE TO DRYING.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY CONTINUE DRYING OUT...BUT WILL BE UNDER CYCLONIC
FLOW JUST AHEAD OF UPPER TROUGH APPROACHING SOUTHERN ROCKIES...SO
WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN. WEAK COLD FRONT PASSES
THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT WITH UPPER RIDGING MOVING IN...SO LOOK FOR
SUNDAY INTO THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW WEEK TO BE DRY AND PLEASANT.

EL PASO               BB  86/ 66/ 87/ 68/ 89  13131
LAS CRUCES            BB  87/ 62/ 88/ 63/ 90  24131
ALAMOGORDO            BB  84/ 63/ 85/ 64/ 88  13131
CLOUDCROFT            BB  63/ 45/ 64/ 47/ 68  43432
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES BB  80/ 63/ 82/ 65/ 86  24131
SILVER CITY           BB  77/ 56/ 78/ 58/ 81  54322
DEMING                BB  85/ 62/ 86/ 63/ 88  24131
LORDSBURG             BB  86/ 63/ 87/ 64/ 90  24131
SIERRA BLANCA         BB  81/ 60/ 83/ 62/ 86  13131

.ELP...NONE

17 HEFNER

N

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 11, 9:30 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-120000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND FAR
WEST TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX
1030 AM MDT WED SEP 11 2002

THE AIR MASS REMAINS VERY MOIST OVER THE ENTIRE COUNTY WARNING AREA.
A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES IN THE UPPER AIR WILL MOVE INTO NEW MEXICO
TODAY AND THURSDAY CAUSING FURTHER DESTABILIZATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
ASSOCIATED WITH THESE DISTURBANCES WILL BE MID LEVEL DRIER AIR THAT
WILL ENHANCE THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCALLY STRONG OR SEVERE STORMS. THE
GREATEST RISK OF STRONG STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IS ACROSS
LUNA...HIDALGO...GRANT...AND SIERRA COUNTIES.  THESE STORMS MAY
PRODUCE
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IN A SHORT TIME...HAIL...AND
WINDS TO 50 MPH OR MORE.  IN ADDITION...THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING
REMAINS...ESPECIALLY FOR NORTHERN GRANT COUNTY AND SIERRA COUNTY AS
RECENT COPIOUS RAINS HAVE LEFT THE GROUND NEAR SATURATION AND MANY
CREEKS AND STREAMS ARE STARTING TO RUN NEAR CAPACITY. BE ALERT FOR
RAPIDLY RISING WATERS IN THESE AREAS ESPECIALLY IN LOW LYING AREAS
AND NEAR STREAMS AND NORMALLY DRY ARROYOS.

FOR THE REST OF THE AREA INCLUDING DONA ANA...OTERO...EL PASO...AND
HUDSPETH COUNTIES...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP INTO THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS WITH A FEW ON THE STRONG SIDE PRODUCING
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG STORMS IS POSSIBLE OVER THE COUNTY WARNING
AREA ON THURSDAY BEFORE DRIER AIR FROM THE WEST REDUCES ACTIVITY
TO MORE OF AN ISOLATED LEVEL ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND STOPS ALL
ACTIVITY THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/ELP

NOVLAN

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Sierra

When: September 11, 1:00 PM MST to September 12, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Sierra County, Cuchillo
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.131, -107.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Persistent heavy rains from thunderstorms repeatedly moving over the same area resulted in Cuchillo creek spilling out of its banks and damaging most of the roads from Cuchillo northwestward toward Monticello. Residents around Cuchillo were told to evacuate. Floodwaters, initially a flash flood, remained at least until the following morning. Estimates of two inches of rain fell on ground saturated from days of previous heavy rains.

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

Every storm in New Mexico in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, September 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: 5320447.