A cold front moved through northeast New Mexico early on the 7th with a fresh supply of low level moisture. This led to an extensive area of showers and thunderstorms over the northeast, with a couple of the storms dumping heavy rain and producing flash flooding in near Amistad in Union County.
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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 ABQ wrote it up.
A cold front moved through northeast New Mexico early on the 7th with a fresh supply of low level moisture. This led to an extensive area of showers and thunderstorms over the northeast, with a couple of the storms dumping heavy rain and producing flash flooding in near Amistad in Union County.
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 Albuquerque, NM wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 7, 2:10 PM MST, 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 310 PM MDT THU AUG 7 2008 .DISCUSSION... POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN TODAY AND TOMORROW. COLD FRONT DRAPING ACROSS NORTHEAST NM FROM THE EAST SLOPES OF THE SANGRES TO NEAR BUEYEROS WILL BE THE MAIN FOCUS FOR HEAVY RAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE FRONT HAS STALLED...RESULTED IN LITTLE TO NO STORM MOVEMENT. SOME OF THESE AREAS...NAMELY FROM NEAR MOSQUERO TO GLADSTONE...HAS HAD QUITE A BIT OF RAIN IN RECENT DAYS...THUS SHOULD STORMS CONTINUE TO TRAIN OVER THIS SAME AREA...FLOODING WILL BECOME A BIGGER CONCERN. AS STORMS AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES COLLIDE...AN MCS SHOULD FORM ALLOWING STORMS TO CONTINUE INTO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS. THOUGH THE GREATEST CONCERN FOR HEAVY RAIN WILL BE ACROSS NORTHEAST NM THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...STORMS THAT HAVE FORMED ALONG THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN NM WILL ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN...THOUGH THESE STORMS MAY NOT BE AS WIDESPREAD. WITH ABUNDANT CONVECTION ACROSS THE EAST...ALSO EXPECT AN EAST CANYON WIND INTO ABQ TONIGHT. ACTIVITY ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS TOMORROW WILL LARGELY DEPEND ON THE ACTIVITY TONIGHT. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER AND/OR REDEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON...BUT INTENSITY AND COVERAGE WILL DEPEND ON CLOUD DEBRIS FROM TONIGHTS STORMS. THE FOCUS WILL LARGELY BE ANY RESIDUAL OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES. HAVE RAISED TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES ACROSS THE NORTHEAST IN ANTICIPATION OF CLOUD COVER TONIGHT...AND HAVE KEPT TEMPS AT OR BELOW THE LOWEST GUIDANCE FOR TOMORROW. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE WILL ROUND THE UPPER HIGH ON SATURDAY...WHICH WILL SEND ANOTHER BACK DOOR COLD FRONT INTO THE EASTERN PLAINS ON SUNDAY. THE ECMWF IS MORE BULLISH WITH QPF THAN THE 12Z GFS OR NAM...BUT 18Z NAM SEEMS TO BE CATCHING UP WITH THE EURO. THUS...HAVE OPTED TO INCREASE POPS INTO THE CHANCE CATEGORY ACROSS THE NORTHEAST...BUT FRONTAL TIMING MAY STILL BE QUESTIONABLE. MODELS ALSO SUGGESTING ONE OR MORE SECONDARY COLD FRONTS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST EARLY IN THE WEEK. OTHERWISE...RESIDUAL MOISTURE ACROSS NM WILL STILL ALLOW FOR TERRAIN INDUCED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. 34 && .AVIATION... MESSY NEXT 24 HOURS AS EXPECT MANY OF THE TERMINAL SITES TO EXPERIENCE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING MVFR AND SHORT DURATION IFR CONDITIONS. MAINLY DUE TO HEAVY RAIN AND SUBSEQUENT LOW CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDER CELLS. EASTERN AREAS...INCLUDING TCC AND LVS WILL ESPECIALLY GET HIT HARD WITH HEAVY RAIN. PERSISTENT LOW CLOUDS DUE TO ANTECEDENT MOIST CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT IS HIGHLY POSSIBLE. PERHAPS EVEN SOME LOCALIZED FOG DVLP LATER TONIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL AREAS. NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 09Z. && .FIRE WEATHER... HIGHER HUMIDITY THROUGH AT LEAST SUNDAY WITH THE FLOW OVERHEAD REMAINING STAGNANT AND NOT ALLOWING DRY AIR PENETRATION FROM THE WEST. WETTING RAIN WILL REMAIN A POSSIBILITY ACROSS THE WHOLE FORECAST AREA AS THE SUBTROPICAL HIGH REMAINS NEAR OR OVER NEW MEXICO. SOME DRYING EXPECTED SOMETIME NEXT WEEK BUT UNSURE OF EXACT TIMING AS THE LONG RANGE MODELS VARY IN THEIR SOLUTIONS. REGARDLESS...EXPECT A DOWNTURN IN WETTING RAIN POTENTIAL AS WELL AS A LOWERING TREND IN HUMIDITY. 50 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 63 89 62 91 / 30 20 20 20 GALLUP.......................... 57 85 58 84 / 30 30 30 30 GRANTS.......................... 56 84 56 85 / 30 30 30 30 GLENWOOD........................ 61 90 62 88 / 30 40 40 30 CHAMA........................... 47 78 47 80 / 50 40 30 30 LOS ALAMOS...................... 56 79 55 84 / 40 30 30 30 RED RIVER....................... 45 69 44 75 / 70 60 30 40 TAOS............................ 54 80 51 85 / 50 40 20 30 SANTA FE........................ 59 81 58 85 / 40 40 30 30 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 60 82 58 86 / 40 30 30 20 ESPANOLA........................ 58 84 57 90 / 30 30 30 30 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 67 86 67 88 / 40 30 30 20 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 66 87 66 90 / 30 30 30 20 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 62 85 62 87 / 40 30 30 30 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 64 89 65 90 / 30 30 30 20 SOCORRO......................... 64 90 64 89 / 20 30 30 20 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 53 78 52 81 / 40 30 30 30 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 56 81 57 85 / 40 40 30 30 CARRIZOZO....................... 59 86 61 86 / 20 30 20 20 RUIDOSO......................... 54 75 54 80 / 20 40 20 30 RATON........................... 57 80 54 85 / 80 50 30 30 LAS VEGAS....................... 56 75 54 83 / 70 50 30 30 ROY............................. 60 79 60 84 / 70 40 30 30 CLAYTON......................... 60 80 61 86 / 80 60 30 30 SANTA ROSA...................... 62 84 61 89 / 50 30 20 20 TUCUMCARI....................... 66 84 65 94 / 60 30 20 20 FORT SUMNER..................... 66 86 65 93 / 40 30 20 20 CLOVIS.......................... 64 85 66 93 / 40 30 20 20 PORTALES........................ 66 87 66 93 / 30 30 20 20 ROSWELL......................... 69 89 69 94 / 20 20 20 10 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 34/50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 549 AM MDT THU AUG 7 2008 NMZ001>021-026-081200- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS INCLUDING JEMEZ- UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY-SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS- NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-HARDING COUNTY-FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS- WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY/ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA- SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS-CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS/ESTANCIA VALLEY- CONCHAS LAKE/GUADALUPE COUNTY-QUAY COUNTY- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/UPPER GILA REGION-LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- LINCOLN COUNTY HIGH PLAINS/HONDO VALLEY- CAPITAN/NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-DE BACA COUNTY- CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS-ROOSEVELT COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF CHAVES COUNTY- 549 AM MDT THU AUG 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING OVER MUCH OF NORTHEASTERN...CENTRAL...AND WESTERN NEW MEXICO...WHERE LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLASH FLOODING MAY OCCUR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE EARLY FRIDAY AND INTO THE EVENING OVER MUCH OF NORTHEASTERN...CENTRAL...AND WESTERN NEW MEXICO...WHERE LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLASH FLOODING MAY OCCUR. THUNDERSTORMS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY DECREASE IN COVERAGE EACH DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TO REPORT FLASH FLOODING OR TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. SPOTTERS ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO REPORT MEASURED RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE OR BY CALLING 1.888.386.7637. 52
The Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 154 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
State highway 402 had 6 to 12 inches of standing water 3 miles north northwest of Amistad.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2008
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: 111835.