1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 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 12, 12:50 PM MST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 150 PM MDT THU SEP 12 2002 SYNOPSIS... ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS STILL REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE BORDERLAND THIS EVENING. AREAS EAST OF A TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES DEMING LINE COULD ALSO SEE A FEW STRONG TO LOCALLY SEVERE STORMS PRODUCING HAIL...STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. BY FRIDAY ACTIVITY WILL BECOME LESS INTENSE AND MORE ISOLATED. A WEAK BACKDOOR FRONT ON SATURDAY WILL PRODUCE SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE SIGNIFICANT DRYING RETURNS TO THE BORDERLAND THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. DISCUSSION... EVERYTHING ON TARGET WITH ONE INCH DIAMETER HAIL YESTERDAY AT SVC AND FLASHING FLOODING IN SIERRA AND GRANT COUNTIES. EMPHASIS WILL SHIFT EASTWARD TODAY...MAINLY EAST OF A TCS-DMN LINE FOR STRONG APPROACHING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER...AS MENTIONED IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK THIS MORNING HILDAGO AND GRANT ARE NOT ENTIRELY OUT OF THE WOODS AS ANY THUNDERSTORM OVER OR NEAR A PERVIOUS FLOOD AREA COULD STILL PRODUCE FLOODING AND RUNOFF PROBLEMS. MODELS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENTLY SINCE YESTERDAY AND THE ETA S STILL THE MOST AGGRESSIVE. THE UPPER LOW OVER THE GREAT BASIN WILL SEND A VORT LOBE INTO THE CWA THIS EVENING. THIS WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBTROPICAL JET STREAM ALOFT AND ABOUT 2 TO 3 DEGREES OF COOLING AT THE H5 LEVEL. MOST OF THE CWA EXCEPT FOR THE NORTHERN THIRD WILL BE JUST UNDER THE JET TO IN THE RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT...WHICH IS NOT THE OPTIMAL LIFT AREA BUT SHOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE A STOPPER. WSR 88D AT 19Z IS SHOWING EARLY VIGOROUS DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHERN SIERRA AND OTERO COUNTIES...PROBABLY SHOWING THE INFLUENCE OF THE LEFT FRONT QUADRANT. FURTHER FACTORS HELPING OUR CONVECTION THIS EVENING WILL BE: SOME DIFFLUENCE AT H2 OVERHEAD AND A -4 LI FIELD. PWS ARE STILL HANGING IN THERE AT 1.16 INCHES (NOTE WE ARE LOSING AND FCST TO LOSE ABOUT .2 INCHES PER DAY THOUGH SUNDAY). OUR THINKING IS IS LINE WITH THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER THAT THE SHEAR (BOTH DIRECTIONAL SPEED) AND HEATING WILL ALONG WITH SOME MID LEVEL COOLING WILL KICK OFF ACTIVITY.THUS A FEW ROTATING STORMS WITH HAIL COULD DEVELOP IN THIS REGION. COVERAGE IS LIKELY TO BE LIMITED BY DRYING ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASING WLY FLOW ALOFT (WHICH ALSO HELPS TO ENHANCE SEVERITY). BOTTOM LINE THE RISK FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS IS SLIGHT BUT NOT ENOUGH TO IGNORE. ACTIVITY SHOULD DIMINISH TO THE ISOLATED LEVEL ON FRIDAY. AS THE GT BASIN LOW OPENS AS A TROUGH AND MOVES SOUTHEASTWARD...TAILING ACROSS THE CWA SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT... THERE WILL STILL BE ONE MORE OPPORTUNITY AT SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE FORECAST THICKNESS, WIND, AND PRESSURE FIELDS REVEAL THAT THERE WILL BE A WEAK FROPA SATURDAY (INITIAL WINDS SATURDAY FOLLOWED BY A SECOND SURGE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING WHICH WILL BRING SOME WELCOME TEMPERATURE RELIEF BY SUNDAY (FCST 58 TO 83). AND THEN AS NOTED EARLIER... DRYING BEGINS IN EARNEST WITH RIDGING AND NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES...THE RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN U.S. FLATTENS IN RESPONSE TO A VERY PROGRESSIVE PATTERN IN THE WESTERLIES NORTH OF 35 DEGREES LATITUDE. HENCE A DRY WEEK WITH SOME LEE TROUGHING FORECAST FOR OCCASIONAL BREEZY AFTERNOONS AT TIMES. EL PASO UU 65/ 89/ 66/ 86/ 64 31212 LAS CRUCES UU 59/ 87/ 60/ 84/ 58 31212 ALAMOGORDO UU 60/ 87/ 61/ 84/ 59 31212 CLOUDCROFT UU 44/ 68/ 45/ 65/ 43 32223 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES UU 60/ 87/ 61/ 84/ 59 31212 SILVER CITY UU 54/ 85/ 55/ 82/ 53 22212 DEMING UU 58/ 88/ 59/ 85/ 57 31212 LORDSBURG UU 58/ 90/ 59/ 87/ 57 21112 SIERRA BLANCA UU 62/ 87/ 63/ 83/ 61 31212 .ELP...NONE 20 / NOVLAN N
NMZ022>025-030>32-TXZ055-056-130000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS...CORRECITON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX 1045 AM MDT THU SEP 12 2002 ...CORRECTED DATE AND ZONE DISTRIBUTION... ENOUGH ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY REMAINS FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL THE COUNTY WARNING AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TODAY THE EMPHASIS ON THE THE MORE INTENSE ACTIVITY WILL BE SHIFT FROM THE WESTERN ZONES ( WHICH EXPERIENCED FLASH FLOODING AND LARGE HAIL YESTERDAY) TO AN AREA EAST OF A TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES-DEMING LINE. A HEALTHY THETA E RIDGE (SFC/850MB) REMAINS CENTERED OVER EL PASO NORTHWARD TODAY AND THE FORECAST AREA OF BEST LIFT IN THE 00Z TO 09Z TIME FRAME GIVES LIS OF -4 AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES FROM .8 TO 1.1 INCHES. LIFT WILL BE FURTHER ENHANCED AS A SUBTROPICAL JET NOSES INTO SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO FROM ARIZONA...HOWEVER MOST OF THE SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO WILL REMAIN UNDER THE JET DIRECTLY OR IN THE RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT WHICH IS NOT THE MOST FAVORED POSITION FOR MAXIMUM LIFT. ASSOCIATED WITH THE JET WILL BE MINOR DISTURBANCES IN THE MID LEVELS TO ENHANCE INSTABILITY ALONG WITH ABOUT 2 TO 3 DEGREES C OF COOLING ALOFT. ACTIVITY MAY NOT BE QUITE AS INTENSE AS YESTERDAY BUT A SLIGHT THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIT IN THE ABOVE MENTIONED AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS. AGAIN...MAINLY EAST OF A TCS-DMN LINE THERE REMAINS A CHANCE FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS CAUSING LOCAL FLOODING...ONE HALF TO THREE QUARTERS INCH HAIL...AND STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS TO 50 MPH OR HIGHER. NOTE...EVEN THOUGH THE WESTERN ZONES ARE NOT IN THE GREATEST RISK TODAY FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...ANY THUNDERSTORM OVER OR NEAR AREAS WHICH EXPERIENCED FLOODING YESTERDAY COULD POSE A CONTINUED RISK FOR MORE FLOODING AND OR MORE RUNOFF PROBLEMS...SO ALL INTERESTS SHOULD STILL STAY ALERT. BE WEATHER WISE...STAY ALERT AND MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. NOVLAN
NMZ032-TXZ055-130045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX 535 PM MDT THU SEP 12 2002 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER DONA ANA COUNTY NEW MEXICO... AT 530 PM A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING WEST TO EAST ACROSS DONA ANA COUNTY NEW MEXICO. THE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE VICINITY OF LAS CRUCES...HATCH...RADIUM SPRINGS...AND ACROSS INTERSTATES 10 AND 25 DURING THE NEXT HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 40 MILES AN HOUR AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WITH STREET FLOODING. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THE STORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER. PERSONS TRAVELING MUST STAY ALERT FOR WATER COVERED ROADS AND REMEMBER NEVER TO WALK OR DRIVE ACROSS FLOODED AREAS BUT INSTEAD SEEK ALTERNATE ROUTES OF TRAVEL.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rains resulted in numerous road closures in the southern Sacramento Mountains, as well as Highway 54 between Alamogordo and Tularosa. Highway 82 between Alamogordo and Cloudcroft was impassible due to rock slides.
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, September 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: 5320457.