The remnants of Hurricane Dolly moved northwestward into far west Texas, moving directly over west El Paso, then curved north and northeastward into Otero County New Mexico. Moisture from this system spread over most of southern New Mexico and lingered another 36 hours.
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.
The remnants of Hurricane Dolly moved northwestward into far west Texas, moving directly over west El Paso, then curved north and northeastward into Otero County New Mexico. Moisture from this system spread over most of southern New Mexico and lingered another 36 hours. Storm totals from early the 26th into the 27th peaked at more than 4 inches in the Santa Teresa Country Club area.
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 26, 2:38 AM MST, 7 hours 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 338 AM MDT SAT JUL 26 2008 .SYNOPSIS... ABUNDANT MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF DOLLY HAS ALREADY MOVED INTO WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO THIS MORNING... INCREASING AREAS OF RAINFALL. SOME OF THE RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO BE HEAVY AND FLASH FLOOD WATCHES FOR THE BORDERLAND CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY. THE UPPER LOW ASSOCIATED WITH DOLLY LIFTS OUT MONDAY AND HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT REFORMS OVER NEW MEXICO TO LIMIT THUNDERSTORMS TO MAINLY ISOLATED FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... MOISTURE FROM REMNANTS OF DOLLY OVER MUCH OF THE CWA EARLY THIS MORNING. CENTER HARD TO DETECT ON SATELLITE IMAGERY BUT CAN BE SEEN ON RADAR...ABOUT 50-60 MILES SOUTH OF EL PASO. WIDESPREAD AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN WITH EMBEDDED HEAVIER SHOWERS DEVELOPING ACROSS WEST TEXAS AND FAR SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO EXPAND TO OTHER AREAS THROUGH TONIGHT. MODELS HAVE NOW DEVIATED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM YESTERDAYS RUNS...HAVING SWITCHED THE FOCUS OF THE HEAVIEST RAIN FROM THE WEST HALF OF THE CWA TO THE CENTRAL CWA BASICALLY RIGHT UP THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. THIS IS DUE MAINLY TO MODELS NOW TAKING THE SURFACE/LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION SLOWLY NORTHWARD UP THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. PWS CONTINUE TO RUN ABOUT 1.6 TO 1.8 INCHES WHICH IS AROUND 180% OF NORMAL...SO FLOOD POTENTIAL CONTINUES. WILL KEEP CURRENT WATCHES GOING AS IS...THOUGH MODELS NOW SUGGESTING FLOOD POTENTIAL MAYBE NOT SO GREAT OVER THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE CWA. MODELS NOW ALSO SLOWER IN CLEARING THE AREA OF THE TROPICAL MOISTURE. BOTH GFS/NAM BEGIN OPENING UPPER LOW OUT INTO TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN CWA MONDAY AS UPPER HIGH DUAL CENTERS OVER ARIZONA AND TEXAS BECOME BETTER DEFINED. STILL SOME POTENTIAL MONDAY FOR SOME HEAVY SHOWERS ACROSS THE EAST BEFORE THE TROUGH FINALLY LIFTS OUT EAST OF THE AREA. ARIZONA HIGH NOW BECOMES THE DOMINANT FEATURE TUESDAY AND BEYOND CREATING A NORTH/NORTHEAST FLOW OVER THE AREA. THIS TENDS TO BE A BIT MORE ACTIVE THUNDERSTORM PATTERN FOR THE AREA AS DISTURBANCES ARE FREQUENTLY BROUGHT DOWN FROM THE NORTH...AND POPS MAY NEED TO BE INCREASED SOME IN THE LATE PERIODS...THOUGH WILL LET NEXT SHIFT DECIDE PER THIS MORNINGS MODEL RUNS. && .AVIATION... VALID 26/12Z-27/12Z... SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM WILL BECOME FAIRLY WIDESPREAD TODAY WITH FQT CIGS AOB 060. ISOLD IFR CIG ASSOCD WITH +SHRA/+TSRA. CONTINUE TO MONITOR TAFS FOR ANY UPDATES. && .FIRE WEATHER... LOADS OF MOISTURE MOVING INTO THE REGION WILL CAUSE WIDESPREAD RAIN AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS INTO SUNDAY. OCCASIONAL HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE SOME FLASH FLOODING. THINGS BEGIN TO DRY OUT ON MONDAY AND BY TUESDAY AND BEYOND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ISOLATED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 85 69 87 70 90 / 70 70 60 50 30 SIERRA BLANCA TX 81 61 84 63 89 / 50 50 50 50 50 LAS CRUCES 84 67 86 68 89 / 70 70 60 50 30 ALAMOGORDO 83 65 85 66 89 / 50 50 40 50 30 CLOUDCROFT 66 50 66 51 70 / 50 50 40 50 40 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 83 66 85 66 88 / 70 70 60 40 30 SILVER CITY 79 60 76 61 80 / 60 60 30 30 30 DEMING 84 68 85 68 90 / 70 70 50 40 30 LORDSBURG 83 67 84 67 89 / 60 50 30 30 30 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR NMZ022>025-030>032. TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR TXZ055-056. && HEFNER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 1130 AM MDT FRI JUL 25 2008 NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-261730- 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- 1130 AM MDT FRI JUL 25 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 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON WEST TEXAS AND SPREAD TO SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO TONIGHT AS THE REMNANTS OF DOLLY MOVE IN. ISOLATED AREAS OF HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE FLASH FLOODING...FLASH FLOOD WATCHES OUT FOR MOST OF AREA. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED INTO THE LATE EVENING HOURS. A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE ALL AREAS SATURDAY WITH FLOOD POTENTIAL REMAINING FOR MOST AREAS RIO GRANDE WEST. SHOWERS WILL BEGIN TAPERING OFF SUNDAY MOST AREAS...EXCEPT FAR WEST...WHERE THEY WILL STAY SCATTERED WITH OCCASIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL. BACK TO A BIT DRIER PATTERN MONDAY AND BEYOND...WITH JUST ISOLATED AFTERNOON/EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 657 AM MDT SAT JUL 26 2008 NMZ024-032-TXZ055-056-261500- TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT-SOUTHERN DESERT-EL PASO-HUDSPETH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALAMOGORDO...LAS CRUCES...EL PASO... SIERRA BLANCA...DELL CITY 657 AM MDT SAT JUL 26 2008 ...MODERATE TO OCCASIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL DEVELOPING ACROSS WEST TEXAS AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO THIS MORNING... THE REMNANTS OF DOLLY HAVE MOVED UP TO THE EL PASO METRO AREA AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. THE CENTER OF THE TROPICAL CIRCULATION IS ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF EL PASO AT THIS TIME AND IS FORECAST TO MOVE VERY SLOWLY NORTH-NORTHWEST. RADAR IS SHOWING A BROAD AREA OF AROUND ONE-THIRD OF AN INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS MOST OF EL PASO...WESTERN HUDSPETH...SOUTHWESTERN OTERO...AND SOUTHERN DONA ANA COUNTIES. BANDS OF HEAVIER SHOWERS ARE ROTATING AROUND THE CIRCULATION AND HAVE DROPPED FROM ONE-HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN FROM ABOUT FORT HANCOCK ACROSS PORTIONS OF EL PASO TO SANTA TERESA. THIS RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD TO MOST OF THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO TODAY...AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS. HEFNER
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX
1007 AM MDT SAT JUL 26 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0930 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 S EL PASO 31.77N 106.44W
07/26/2008 M1.10 INCH EL PASO TX MESONET
ELET2 EL PASO FIRE STATION 5 ON ALAMEDA.
0930 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 SW FORT BLISS 31.77N 106.49W
07/26/2008 M1.00 INCH EL PASO TX MESONET
EPBT2 EL PASO FIRE STATION 3 ON EAST RIO GRANDE.
0930 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 SSW FORT BLISS 31.75N 106.46W
07/26/2008 M1.40 INCH EL PASO TX MESONET
EPCT2 EL PASO FIRE STATION 11 ON SANTA FE.
0958 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 W SANTA TERESA 31.87N 106.70W
07/26/2008 M1.20 INCH DONA ANA NM OFFICIAL NWS OBS
AT NWS EPZ.
1003 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 SSE EL PASO 31.80N 106.40W
07/26/2008 M1.36 INCH EL PASO TX ASOS
KELP ASOS...TAKEN FROM CURRENT DAILY SUMMARY.
&&
HARDIMANThe El Paso radar (KEPZ), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:32 UTC.
5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The remnants of Dolly brought 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain to southern Dona Ana County. Water was knee deep in Chaparral, and Highway 28 was flooded south of La Union.
Residual moisture from the remnants of Dolly led to heavy rainfall and flash flooding in the town of Dona Ana. Several roads were barricaded and water entered numerous homes.
Moisture associated with the remnants of Dolly resulted in very heavy rain over the South Tularosa Canyon Fire burn scar. Flood waters over-topped containment ponds leading to a widespread flash flood event. Parts of U.S. 70 were closed, the road to the Mescalero Fire Station was washed out, and numerous secondary roads were closed die to high water. Two dams failed at Mud Canyon. Several buildings were affected by the flood waters.
Multiple low water crossings were flooded. Other areas were only accessible to four wheel drive vehicles due to excessive debris.
There were at least 5 road closures throughout the city due to flooding.
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: 129856, 129857, 129859, 129861, 129860.