Though the air mass was not quite as moist through a deep layer as earlier in the month, there was still sufficient moisture for heavy rainfall amounts. The addition of a dry layer in the mid levels brought a threat of damaging winds and marginally large hail.
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 EPZ wrote it up.
Though the air mass was not quite as moist through a deep layer as earlier in the month, there was still sufficient moisture for heavy rainfall amounts. The addition of a dry layer in the mid levels brought a threat of damaging winds and marginally large hail.
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 Jul 17, 1:56 AM MST, 11 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 256 AM MDT THU JUL 17 2008 .SYNOPSIS... MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WILL GENERATE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH FRIDAY. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL WITH LOCALIZED MINOR FLOODING POSSIBLE. DRIER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA DURING THE WEEKEND...REDUCING RAIN CHANCES THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR NORMALS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS...THEN BECOME SLIGHTLY WARMER NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... EARLY MORNING THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONTINUING TO FORM OVER EL PASO AND HUDSPETH COUNTIES. THEY ARE BEING TRIGGERED BY AN INVERTED UPPER TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE REGION. STORMS SHOULD END AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES AND THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES SOUTH. THESE FAST MOVING STORMS HAVE PRODUCED MODERATE RAINFALL OVER A BROAD AREA THAT APPEARS TO NOT TO BE PRODUCING ANY SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AT THIS TIME. AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE LOCATED WEST OF THE AREA HAS SET UP A NORTH TO NORTHEASTERLY FLOW ALOFT THAT IS ALLOWING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES AND MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. THE MOST ACTIVE AREAS WITHIN THE FORECAST AREA ARE EAST OF THE DIVIDE. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING BUT MAY NOT BE AS INTENSE WITH THE INVERTED TROUGH NOW MOVED OUT OF THE AREA. THAT SAID...MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG WITH SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THESE STORMS. BY SATURDAY...THE HIGH WILL RELOCATE NORTH OF THE FORECAST WITH A RESULTING EASTERLY FLOW OVER THE REGION. RAIN CHANCES WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH SOME DURING THE WEEKEND AS DRIER AIR FROM THE NORTH FILTERS INTO THE STATE AND LIMIT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. DAY TIME HEATING AND OROGRAPHIC LIFT WILL STILL RESULT IN AT LEAST ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE AFTERNOON WITH OUTFLOW BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS MAINTAINING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY INTO THE EVENING HOURS. CIRCULATION AROUND THE HIGH WILL SHIFT A LOT OF THE MOISTURE TO THE SOUTH AND WEST DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEKEND AND FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIMITED AND SPOTTY DURING THAT PERIOD. TOWARD THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK THE HIGH WILL SHIFT TO THE EAST...ALLOWING FOR AN INFLUX OF MOISTURE BACK INTO THE AREA. && .AVIATION...VALID 17/12Z-18/12Z GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CREATE AREAS OF MVFR AND IFR FOR CIGS AND VSBY NEAR STORMS. MTN TOPS WILL BE OBSCURED IN AND NEAR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .FIRE WEATHER... MOIST ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH SATURDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND NIGHT TIME. MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS WILL SEE HIGHER AMOUNTS WITH LOCALIZED FLOODING POSSIBLE ALONG DRAINAGES AND SMALL STREAMS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES THROUGH THE PERIOD. A SOMEWHAT DRIER AIR MASS WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA BY LATE SUNDAY...LOWERING CHANCES FOR RAIN AND REDUCING RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 96 73 95 73 95 / 30 30 30 30 20 SIERRA BLANCA TX 93 66 93 65 93 / 40 30 30 30 20 LAS CRUCES 95 70 96 70 95 / 30 30 30 30 20 ALAMOGORDO 92 66 93 65 94 / 40 30 30 30 20 CLOUDCROFT 71 52 71 51 72 / 50 50 40 40 40 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 94 66 95 65 95 / 30 30 30 30 20 SILVER CITY 87 61 87 60 87 / 30 30 30 30 30 DEMING 94 67 96 66 94 / 30 20 30 30 20 LORDSBURG 98 68 98 67 97 / 20 10 30 30 20 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && 04/04
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 1140 AM MDT THU JUL 17 2008 NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-181745- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/LOWER GILA REGION-SIERRA COUNTY LAKES REGION- TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS- SOUTHWEST DESERT/BOOTHEEL-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN- SOUTHERN DESERT-EL PASO-HUDSPETH- 1140 AM MDT THU JUL 17 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN TODAY...BUT WITH A LATER START THAN WAS THE CASE YESTERDAY. AN UPPER DISTURBANCE HAS LEFT THE AREA...BUT ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE BEST CHANCES WILL BE NORTH OF A LORDSBURG TO ALAMOGORDO LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BEGINNING SATURDAY...AND ESPECIALLY BY SUNDAY...DRIER AIR WILL MOVE IN FROM THE EAST AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF THUNDERSTORMS TO ISOLATED IN COVERAGE. THE THREAT OF FLOODING WILL DECREASE WHILE THE THREAT OF MICROBURST WINDS INCREASES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY OBSERVED HAZARDOUS WEATHER TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR THIS OFFICE.
The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 31 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:19 UTC.
2 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall amounts of up to 2 inches fell on the South Tularosa Fire burn scar above Mescalero, resulting in excessive runoff. Logs washed on to Route 10, and much debris blocked residences. A fish hatchery was destroyed which killed all the fish.
Scattered power and phone lines were down throughout Deming.
Numerous roads were flooded throughout central Luna County according to the Luna County Road Department.
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: 129823, 129834, 129838, 129829.