Moisture left behind from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lowell was lifted by a weak back door cold front. This was the focus for slow moving thunderstorms with very heavy rain in eastern El Paso 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 EPZ wrote it up.
Moisture left behind from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lowell was lifted by a weak back door cold front. This was the focus for slow moving thunderstorms with very heavy rain in eastern El Paso 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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 14, 1:52 AM MST, 7 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 252 AM MDT SUN SEP 14 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER. MOISTURE IS LIMITED OVER THE REGION BUT A FEW STORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY TODAY AS IT PUSHES WEST. FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION. THIS FEATURE WILL BRING FURTHER DRYING MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AND SQUELCH STORM CHANCES. TO END THE WEEK A BIT OF MOISTURE WORKS BACK INTO THE AREA WITH A WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL RETURN FOR NEXT WEEKEND. && .DISCUSSION... WATCHING SATELLITE AND RADAR THIS MORNING AS A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT BEGINS PUSHING UP AGAINST THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS. DEEPER MOISTURE RESIDES TO OUR EAST AND OVER OUR FAR EAST ZONES. THE BOUNDARY PLOWING UNDER THE MOISTURE IS CREATING THE LIFT NECESSARY TO GENERATE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE E PLAINS OF NM NEAR ROSWELL. MODELS INDICATE THAT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE OVER THE EASTERN ZONES THIS MORNING WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. HAVE KEPT THOSE CHANCES IN THE FORECAST. AS THE FRONT PUSHES WEST ACROSS THE CENTRAL LOWLANDS OF THE CWFA AND INTO THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS IT WILL ENCOUNTER LESSER MOISTURE LEVELS. THUS EXPECT LOWER STORM CHANCES AND MORE ISOLATED COVERAGE FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS OVER THESE AREAS. WILL KEEP SOME SLIGHT POPS FOR THE WESTERN ZONES INTO THE EVENING HOURS AND THEN END ALL CHANCES BY MIDNIGHT. TODAYS TEMPS WILL BE COOLER BY A FEW DEGREES AND WINDS WILL BE NEAR BREEZY FROM THE EAST. MONDAY HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT BUILDS OVER THE GREAT BASIN PUTTING THE CWFA UNDER A DRY CONTINENTAL FLOW AT MID LEVELS. HIGH PRESSURE ALSO SETTLES IN FROM THE EAST AT THE SURFACE. BOTH OF THESE FEATURES DRAW IN CONTINENTAL AIR AND SWEEP MOISTURE OUT OF THE AREA...HOLDING IT TO OUR SOUTH THROUGH MOST OF THE WORK WEEK. PWS WILL DROP BELOW .75 TODAY AND NEAR .50 FOR MONDAY THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR A DRY FORECAST FOR THOSE DAYS WITH ONLY A MENTION OF MOUNTAIN STORMS FOR MONDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RUN BELOW NORMAL TODAY AND MUCH OF THE WEEK WITH LOWLANDS SEEING LOW 80S EARLY IN THE WEEK...WARMING TO MID 80S LATE IN THE WEEK. WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR MOISTURE CREEPING BACK IN THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LATEST GFS MODEL RUN SHOWS UPPER-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE BUILDING OVER THE AREA SHOVING THE RIDGE OUT. WILL HAVE TO BEGIN ADDING POPS TO THE MOUNTAIN AREAS FRIDAY...MAYBE THURSDAY. && .AVIATION...VALID 14/1200Z-15/1200Z VFR CONDTS MOST MOST AREAS. A SURFACE BACKDOOR COOL FRONT WILL PUSH INTO AND ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. THE MAIN IMPACTS WITH THIS PASSAGE WILL BE EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE. EXPECT CLOUDS LOW- AND MID- LEVEL CLOUDS TO DEVELOP AND MOVE S AND W THIS MORNING OVER AREAS EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE. AREA MTN TOPS POSSIBLY OBSCURED. WIND SHIFTS TO THE E AND NE AND STRENGTHENING TO 15-25 MPH. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS ALSO POSSIBLE. ISOLATED AREAS OF MVFR AND POSSIBLY IFR NEAR STORMS. STORM CHANCES WILL SHIFT WEST TOWARD DMN IN THE AFTERNOON. && .FIRE WEATHER... FOR TODAY A BACKDOOR SURFACE FRONT WILL PUSH INTO AND ACROSS THE AREA. IT WILL FIRST MOVE THROUGH THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THEN INTO THE SOUTHERN DESERTS AND THE GILA LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. THIS BOUNDARY WILL PRODUCE NEAR BREEZY TO BREEZY WINDS SHIFTING TO THE EAST TODAY. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE BUT THE UPPER LEVELS ARE DRY. THIS WILL LIMIT STORMS OVER THE REGION...BUT SLIGHT CHANCES FOR STORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AS IT MOVES WEST ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. FOR THE WEEK AHEAD...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BUILD OVER THE FOUR CORNERS BY MID WEEK. THIS WILL HELP TO FURTHER DRY THE AIRMASS IN PLACE OVER OUR AREA. SUBSIDENCE ALOFT WILL WORK TO SUPPRESS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS ARE EXPECTED BUT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE LEVELS WILL BE LOWER. LATE IN THE WEEK AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS PROGED TO PASS OVER THE REGION. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR STORMS WILL RETURN WITH THIS SYSTEM AS MOISTURE MOVES BACK OVER WITH THE TROUGH. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 82 60 81 58 82 / 20 0 0 0 0 SIERRA BLANCA TX 78 56 76 52 77 / 20 0 0 0 0 LAS CRUCES 82 58 80 55 81 / 20 0 0 0 0 ALAMOGORDO 81 57 79 53 80 / 20 0 0 0 0 CLOUDCROFT 61 37 61 35 62 / 20 0 10 0 0 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 80 56 79 55 81 / 10 0 0 0 0 SILVER CITY 74 51 75 48 77 / 20 20 10 0 0 DEMING 82 56 80 54 81 / 10 20 0 0 0 LORDSBURG 83 56 81 55 82 / 10 20 0 0 0 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && 14 / BIRD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 1116 AM MDT SAT SEP 13 2008 NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-141730- 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- 1116 AM MDT SAT SEP 13 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 NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER AREA MOUNTAINS TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY. THE FRONT MAY BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH BY LATE EVENING. THE REST OF THE WEEK LOOKS SUNNY...WARM AND DRY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 927 AM MDT SUN SEP 14 2008 TXZ055-141730- EL PASO- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...EL PASO 927 AM MDT SUN SEP 14 2008 ...THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING OVER EL PASO COUNTY... A WEAK BACKDOOR COLD FRONT FROM THE EAST HAS MOVED INTO OUR AREA EARLY THIS MORNING...AND IS SETTING OFF SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER EL PASO COUNTY. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN..SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH...AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING GENERALLY TO THE NORTH AROUND 10 TO 15 MPH. KEEP AN EYE TO THE SKY IF YOU HAVE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES PLANED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. 20 NOVLAN
The El Paso radar (KEPZ), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:31 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Horizon Boulevard below Horizon City was impassable to due rapidly moving water and debris. Floodwaters entered at least one home in the Sparks subdivision.
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: 135859.