A deep tap of subtropical moisture over the state helped produce thunderstorms with torrential downpours. One such storm brought flash flooding to the town of Lincoln.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 ABQ wrote it up.
A deep tap of subtropical moisture over the state helped produce thunderstorms with torrential downpours. One such storm brought flash flooding to the town of Lincoln.
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 Jul 16, 2:03 PM MST, 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 303 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 .DISCUSSION... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING AND SEVERE WEATHER CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN CONCERN. STORMS WENT UNDERWAY QUICKLY ACROSS THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS LATE THIS MORNING...WITH STREET FLOODING AND SMALL HAIL REPORTED IN LINCOLN COUNTY BY MID AFTERNOON. OVERALL COVERAGE OF STORMS IS LESS THIS AFTERNOON AS COMPARED TO YESTERDAY AT THIS TIME...BUT EXPECT COVERAGE TO RAMP UP LATER THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE MOUNTAINS. WARM TEMPS AND HIGH DEWPOINTS ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS HAVE ONCE AGAIN LED TO CAPE VALUES ON THE ORDER OF 1500 TO 3000 J/KG PER LAPS ANALYSIS...SO IF ANY STORMS DEVELOP OR MOVE INTO THESE AREAS THEY COULD BECOME SEVERE. AND...SIMILARLY TO YESTERDAY...ALL STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN. A WEAK DISTURBANCE OVER THE SOUTHEAST WILL CONTINUE SLOWLY MOVING SOUTH AROUND THE UPPER HIGH. THIS DISTURBANCE MAY HELP KEEP CONVECTION GOING WELL INTO THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS OUR SOUTHEAST ZONES. OTHERWISE...A JET MAX WILL POKE INTO THE NORTHWEST...AS ALREADY SEEN ON SATELLITE IMAGERY...AND SHOULD HELP THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. CONVECTION THAT MOVES OFF THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE SLOW AND GENERALLY DRIFTING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST...BUT WILL BE DEPENDENT ON COLLIDING OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AS WELL. UPPER HIGH OVER SW NM AND SE AZ WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NNW OVER ARIZONA. THIS WILL ALLOW WEAK DISTURBANCES TO SLIDE ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN PERIPHERY OF THE HIGH...OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS. ONE SUCH DISTURBANCE WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT INTO THE NORTHEAST FRIDAY MORNING WHICH MAY BE ANOTHER FOCUS FOR TSTMS. OTHERWISE...UPPER HIGH SHOULD SUPPRESS STORMS TO SOME DEGREE OVER THE WEST...AT LEAST ON FRIDAY...AND WILL ALSO WARM UP TEMPS. STILL STUCK TO THE LOWER SIDE OF GUIDANCE FOR TEMPS AND ON THE HIGHER SIDE OF POPS. BY SUNDAY...GFS AND NAM WANT TO BRING THE CENTER OF THE UPPER HIGH NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS...WHILE THE ECMWF SHIFTS IT FARTHER EAST AS IT BRINGS IN AN UPPER TROUGH OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SOONER THAN THE GFS. WITH THE DISCREPANCIES...HAVE NOT MADE ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED. 34 && .AVIATION... LOCALIZED MVRF AND IFR CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THE MOST LIKELY AREAS WILL BE FOUND ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN AREAS ALTHOUGH ALL TERMINAL SITES BASED ON THE STEERING FLOW ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO LOWER CIGS AND VIS DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS. PATCHY LOW CLOUDS MAY ALSO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT...FAVORING THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT HIGH PLAINS. NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 09Z. && .FIRE WEATHER... MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO RECYCLE UNDERNEATH THE UPPER HIGH THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THERE ARE SOME MODEL DISCREPANCIES ON THE POSITION OF THE UPPER HIGH DURING THE WEEKEND. ONE MODEL HAS IT POSITIONING ITSELF OVER THE FOUR CORNERS AREA WHILE THE OTHER HAS IT STRETCHING ACROSS NORTHERN NM INTO TEXAS. REGARDLESS...HIT AND MISS WETTING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE AND THE POSITION OF THE UPPER HIGH WILL DETERMINE THE STEERING FLOW FOR THE STORMS. WITH THAT BEING SAID...THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF CONFIDENCE THAT OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...CONDITIONS WILL WARM AND BECOME DRIER ACROSS THE NORTHWEST THIRD. THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS THAT DRIER AIR ORIGINATING FROM THE GREAT BASIN WILL TRY TO INFILTRATE THE LOWER LEVELS...UNDERNEATH THE UPPER HIGH. THIS MEANS THAT BOTH RH RECOVERIES AND DAYTIME HUMIDITY READINGS WILL GRADUALLY LOWER ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AREA. THIS RESULT WOULD PRIMARILY AFFECT SAN JUAN AND RIO ARRIBA COUNTIES. THE PERIOD OF LESS CONFIDENCE WILL BE THE EARLIER HALF OF NEXT WEEK AS ONE MODEL DEPICTS A SIGNIFICANT PLUME OF MOISTURE FLOWING OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF NEW MEXICO WHILE ANOTHER MODEL HAS A MUCH MORE MEAGER FLOW OF MOISTURE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 62 94 62 94 / 30 20 20 20 GALLUP.......................... 56 87 55 88 / 30 30 30 20 GRANTS.......................... 57 89 56 89 / 30 30 30 30 GLENWOOD........................ 60 89 60 90 / 40 30 30 30 CHAMA........................... 44 81 43 83 / 40 50 40 50 LOS ALAMOS...................... 56 84 55 84 / 50 30 40 30 RED RIVER....................... 42 75 41 75 / 40 50 50 50 TAOS............................ 53 87 52 87 / 50 40 40 40 SANTA FE........................ 59 85 58 85 / 50 40 40 40 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 58 89 57 88 / 50 30 40 30 ESPANOLA........................ 57 92 57 91 / 40 30 40 30 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 66 91 67 90 / 40 20 20 30 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 64 93 65 92 / 40 20 20 30 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 62 88 61 88 / 50 20 30 20 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 65 92 65 91 / 40 20 20 20 SOCORRO......................... 62 91 64 91 / 50 20 30 20 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 51 82 52 80 / 50 20 30 30 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 56 84 56 83 / 50 30 30 40 CARRIZOZO....................... 60 86 59 87 / 50 40 30 40 RUIDOSO......................... 55 79 54 80 / 50 50 40 40 RATON........................... 56 90 55 87 / 20 30 40 40 LAS VEGAS....................... 55 83 55 83 / 50 40 40 40 ROY............................. 60 85 60 84 / 30 30 40 30 CLAYTON......................... 64 88 62 85 / 20 30 40 30 SANTA ROSA...................... 62 88 62 87 / 40 30 30 30 TUCUMCARI....................... 67 89 67 90 / 20 20 30 30 FORT SUMNER..................... 66 88 65 87 / 30 30 30 30 CLOVIS.......................... 65 86 64 87 / 20 20 20 20 PORTALES........................ 66 88 65 88 / 20 20 20 20 ROSWELL......................... 69 90 69 90 / 40 30 30 30 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 34/50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 542 AM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 NMZ001>021-026-171200- CAPITAN/NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS- CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS/ESTANCIA VALLEY-CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS- CONCHAS LAKE/GUADALUPE COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY-DE BACA COUNTY- FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF CHAVES COUNTY- HARDING COUNTY-LINCOLN COUNTY HIGH PLAINS/HONDO VALLEY- LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY/ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA-NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS- NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS INCLUDING JEMEZ-NORTHWEST PLATEAU-QUAY COUNTY- ROOSEVELT COUNTY-SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS-SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/UPPER GILA REGION-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- 542 AM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN WHICH COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...AND NEARBY VALLEYS. IN ADDITION...AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH PENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL IS POSSIBLE LATER TODAY ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN WHICH COULD LEAD TO FLOODING AGAIN BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT FLASH FLOODING TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY ALSO BE RELAYED THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE OR BY CALLING 1.888.386.7637. 19
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1243 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 NMZ026-161930- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF CHAVES COUNTY- 1243 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING OVER SOUTHWEST CHAVES COUNTY... AT 1236 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER 5 MILES SOUTH OF DUNKEN. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 19 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE RURAL SOUTHWESTERN CHAVES COUNTY...GENERALLY NEAR AND SOUTH OF DUNKEN. HEAVY RAINS WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND IN LOW SPOTS. FAST RUNNING WATER WILL QUICKLY FILL ARROYOS AND DITCHES. FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. 50
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 106 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 NMZ016-017-161945- CAPITAN/NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-LINCOLN COUNTY HIGH PLAINS/HONDO VALLEY- 106 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING BETWEEN LINCOLN AND HONDO... AT 1254 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER NEAR LINCOLN. MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 6 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE GLENCOE...HONDO AND SAN PATRICIO. HEAVY RAINS WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND IN LOW SPOTS. FAST RUNNING WATER WILL QUICKLY FILL ARROYOS AND DITCHES. FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. 50
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 132 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 NMZ026-162000- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF CHAVES COUNTY- 132 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING OVER SOUTHWEST CHAVES COUNTY... AT 130 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DUNKEN. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 10 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE RURAL SOUTHWESTERN CHAVES COUNTY. HEAVY RAINS WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND IN LOW SPOTS. FAST RUNNING WATER WILL QUICKLY FILL ARROYOS AND DITCHES. 40
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 157 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 NMZ026-162030- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF CHAVES COUNTY- 157 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING OVER SOUTHWEST CHAVES COUNTY... AT 154 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS... WINDS UP TO 40 MPH AND HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER 13 MILES EAST OF DUNKEN. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 14 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE RURAL SOUTHWESTERN CHAVES COUNTY. HEAVY RAINS WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND IN LOW SPOTS. FAST RUNNING WATER WILL QUICKLY FILL ARROYOS AND DITCHES. 40
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 329 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 NMZ016-017-162200- CAPITAN/NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-LINCOLN COUNTY HIGH PLAINS/HONDO VALLEY- 329 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING OVER NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY... AT 324 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 45 MPH AND HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER 18 MILES NORTHEAST OF JICARILLA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 11 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE RURAL NORTH CENTRAL LINCOLN COUNTY. HEAVY RAINS WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND IN LOW SPOTS. FAST RUNNING WATER WILL QUICKLY FILL ARROYOS AND DITCHES. 40
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 347 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 NMZ016-017-162215- CAPITAN/NORTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-LINCOLN COUNTY HIGH PLAINS/HONDO VALLEY- 347 PM MDT WED JUL 16 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING OVER NORTHEAST LINCOLN COUNTY... AT 343 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER 18 MILES EAST OF CORONA. MOVEMENT WAS SOUTH AT 10 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE RURAL NORTH CENTRAL LINCOLN COUNTY. HEAVY RAINS WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND IN LOW SPOTS. FAST RUNNING WATER WILL QUICKLY FILL ARROYOS AND DITCHES. 40
The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:59 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding along the Rio Bonito dislodged a couple of foot bridges at the Lincoln State Monument and moved them downstream approximately one eighth of a mile.
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, July 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: 103795.