A series of mid-level shortwave troughs embedded in southwest flow aloft moved across southwest Texas and southeast New Mexico. 75, with a nearly moist adiabatic profile through 6 km.
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 MAF wrote it up.
A series of mid-level shortwave troughs embedded in southwest flow aloft moved across southwest Texas and southeast New Mexico. Precipitable water from the morning sounding at KMAF showed values near 1.75, with a nearly moist adiabatic profile through 6 km. Heavy rain developed from Brewster County northeast through the Western Low Rolling Plains.
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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 10, 11:47 AM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
1247 PM CDT WED SEP 10 2008
.DISCUSSION...
SEE AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW.
&&
.AVIATION...
REGIONAL RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT RAIN WITH
EMBEDDED MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS MOVING ACROSS THE
PERMIAN BASIN AND THE LOWER TRANS PECOS OF WEST TEXAS. WIDESPREAD
IFR CEILINGS ARE IN PLACE ACROSS THE WEST TEXAS TERMINALS...WITH
VISIBILITY READINGS GENERALLY IN THE VFR CATEGORY. EXPECT IFR
CEILINGS WITH MVFR/VFR VISIBILITIES IN OCCASIONAL LIGHT RAIN
THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FOR KCNM AND KHOB IN NEW MEXICO
EXPECT MAINLY MVFR CEILINGS THROUGH LATE TONIGHT WITH PROB30 GROUP
FOR IFR CEILINGS IN LIGHT RAIN AND FOG LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY
MORNING. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT THIS AFTERNOON BUT BECOME
SOUTHEASTERLY AROUND 10 MPH BY THIS EVENING AT MOST SITES.
&&
.MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NM...NONE.
TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES... BIG BEND AREA...DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA...
MARFA PLATEAU...PECOS...PRESIDIO VALLEY...TERRELL.
&&
12HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 538 AM CDT WED SEP 10 2008 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-111045- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY-GAINES- DAWSON-BORDEN-SCURRY-ANDREWS-MARTIN-HOWARD-MITCHELL- VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR-REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS- LOVING-WINKLER-ECTOR-MIDLAND-GLASSCOCK-WARD-CRANE-UPTON-REAGAN- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA-PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-MARFA PLATEAU- BIG BEND AREA-TERRELL-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS- 538 AM CDT WED SEP 10 2008 /438 AM MDT WED SEP 10 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST TEXAS AND WEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE BEST CHANCE OF RAIN WILL GENERALLY EXTEND FROM THE PERMIAN BASIN TO THE BIG BEND REGION AND PRESIDIO VALLEY. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE LOWER TRANS PECOS REGION...THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS...THE BIG BEND...THE MARFA PLATEAU AND THE PRESIDIO VALLEY...WHERE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS. RIVER FLOODING WILL PERSIST ALONG THE RIO GRANDE FROM PRESIDIO TO JOHNSON RANCH THROUGH TONIGHT. ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL LIKELY AGGRAVATE THE ONGOING FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS AGAIN THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY RESULT IN ADDITIONAL FLOODING. RIVER LEVELS ALONG THE RIO GRANDE WILL CONTINUE TO BE ELEVATED OR RISE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF WATER RELEASES FROM THE LUIS LEON RESERVOIR AND AREAS OF RAINFALL. MANY LOCATIONS ALONG THE RIO GRANDE ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LOCAL INTERESTS ALONG THE RIO GRANDE RIVER SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST FLOOD WARNINGS AND FORECAST. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN MIDLAND CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT /LOWER CASE/ HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/MIDLAND
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:05 UTC.
8 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
At 1306 CST, local law enforcement reported FM2886 was closed at I-10. Up to 2 1/2 feet of water was covering the roadway. At 1320 CST, law enforcement also reported Hwy 305 closed with water covering the road and Hwy 1901 impassable/closed.
At 1320 CST, local law enforcement reported that Hwy 305 south of McCamey was closed due to water flowing over the roadway.
At 1323 CST, local law enforcement reported that multiple roads in Iraan were closed due to high water flowing across them.
At 2255 CST, local law enforcement in Sheffield reported several high water rescues in progress in and around Sheffield.
At 0140 CST, local law enforcement continued to report ongoing high water rescues in the community of Sheffield.
Local law enforcement reported multiple stranded vehicles along Hwy 385N near Seagraves and Seminole due to high water flowing across roadways.
At 2340 CST, local law enforcement reported some flooding of city streets in the community of Andrews. Barricades were setup along low water crossing were roadways were covered with flowing water.
At 0422 CST, a deputy reported that SH349 was flooded south of Lamesa. He was in the progress of putting up barricades.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, September 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: 133973, 133993, 133996, 134000, 134008, 134017, 134022, 134029.