Widespread heavy rains fell across the northwest mountains during the early morning hours of the 17th, including an inch of rain that fell in Chama. The heavy rain on existing snow pack caused the Rio Chamita to flood, west of Chama.
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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 ABQ wrote it up.
Widespread heavy rains fell across the northwest mountains during the early morning hours of the 17th, including an inch of rain that fell in Chama. The heavy rain on existing snow pack caused the Rio Chamita to flood, west of Chama.
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 Apr 17, 1:41 PM MST, 4 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 241 PM MDT SAT APR 17 2010 .DISCUSSION... WIDESPREAD RAINFALL ACROSS MANY AREAS OF THE STATE HAS BEEN REPLACED BY MAINLY LOW CLOUDINESS AND SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS. RAINFALL TOTALS WERE IMPRESSIVE WITH AMOUNTS BETWEEN 0.25-0.75 INCHES ACROSS MOST AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE CENTRAL MTS. ISOLD LOCALES OVER THE WESTERN MTS REPORTED BTWN 2-3 INCHES HOWEVER FLOODING CONCERNS HAVE DIMINISHED. 12Z MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN ALONG AND WEST OF THE CENTRAL MTS...AS WELL AS OVER THE FAR NE PLAINS. LEFT ISOLD/SCT POPS IN THIS EVENING THEN TRIMMED BACK TO ISOLD ACROSS THE SW MTS AND THE NE PLAINS. ALSO PLACED PATCHY FOG INTO GRIDS EAST OF THE CENTRAL MTS AS MAV/METMOS GUIDANCE IS PICKING UP ON SEVERAL WEAK SURFACE TROUGHS WITHIN THE SATURATED BNDRY LAYER. THE LATEST WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS A SHORTWAVE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE SLIDING EAST INTO THE GREAT BASIN ON 130-150 KNOT UPPER LEVEL FLOW AHEAD OF THE NEXT UPPER LOW OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTLINE. 12Z MODELS ARE STILL IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT A SMALL YET POTENT UPPER TROUGH WILL SLIDE OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE SUNDAY. LEFT ISOLD TO SCT POPS IN GRIDS SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. 12Z GFS/NAM DEVELOP A CONVECTIVE CLUSTER ALONG THE SANDIA/MANZANO MTS AND SLIDE IT EAST INTO THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS SUNDAY NIGHT...SO SOME MODERATE QPF IS POSSIBLE WITHIN THIS AREA WITH NO SEVERE STORMS EXPECTED. ABUNDANT REMNANT MOISTURE AND INCREASING UPPER DIVERGENCE MONDAY AFTERNOON WILL LEAD TO THE NEXT BATCH OF PRECIP ACROSS THE STATE INTO EARLY TUESDAY. MODELS CONTINUE TO TREND THIS SYSTEM FURTHER SOUTH THEREFORE HAVE PUSHED HIGHEST CHANCE/LIKELY POPS INTO THE SOUTHWEST/ SOUTH CENTRAL MTS WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF MODERATE/HEAVY QPF POSSIBLE. WHILE NO ISSUES HAVE BEEN FOUND ACROSS THE SACRAMENTO MTS WITH RAIN ON SNOWPACK WITH THIS EVENT...THE MONDAY SYSTEM MAY EXACERBATE FLOODING POTENTIAL INTO TUESDAY. MODELS THEN SHOW A SECOND RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE AREA TUESDAY WITH ANOTHER WEAK DISTURBANCE RIDING THE TOP OF THE RIDGE. THIS WILL KEEP ISOLD/SCT POPS IN THE FORECAST ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THE NEXT FEATURE FOR THURSDAY/FRIDAY STILL APPEARS TO BE THE STRONGEST OF THE THREE WITH A MORE WINTER-LIKE SCENARIO POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA WITH STRONG WINDS...VALLEY RAIN...AND MOUNTAIN SNOW. GUYER && .AVIATION... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE REDEVELOPING IN THE CENTRAL TO WESTERN HIGH TERRAIN AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE MID EVENING HOURS. PRIMARY HAZARDS WOULD BE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS IN ANY DOWNPOURS. TO THE EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN...MOST SITES STILL REPORTING MVFR CIGS AS OF 2000UTC. WILL LIKELY SEE CIGS BRIEFLY RISE/BREAK UP BY LATE AFTERNOON...BUT AM EXPECTING LOW STRATUS AND PATCHY FOG TO REDEVELOP AGAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT. WILL JUST KEEP PLACEHOLDERS IN KLVS...KTCC...KROW TAFS FOR NOW...BUT CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY FALL TO THE MVFR OR HIGH END OF IFR CATEGORY IN MUCH OF THE EASTERN PLAINS TONIGHT. NEXT AVIATION DISCUSSION SCHEDULED FOR 09Z. 52 && .FIRE WEATHER... NO SIGNIFICANT FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH AT LEAST NEXT WEDNESDAY DUE TO MOIST SURFACE CONDITIONS AND UPCOMING BOUTS OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK. EXTENSIVE WETTING RAINS FELL OVER MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN ZONES LAST NIGHT AND THIS MORNING...BUT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SINCE DECREASED. AS THE WESTERN HIGH TERRAIN DESTABILIZES SOME MORE WITH DAYTIME HEATING A FEW MORE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP...BUT MOST SHOULD WANE AFTER SUNSET. TO THE EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN STABLE WITH LOW CLOUDS...COOL TEMPERATURES...AND EXCELLENT HUMIDITY RECOVERY TONIGHT. MOISTURE WILL UNDERCUT AN UPPER RIDGE SUNDAY...LEAVING ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF THE STATE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WARMER...PARTICULARLY IN THE EASTERN PLAINS WHERE READINGS WILL REBOUND 10 TO 15 DEGREES...BUT STILL BE JUST UNDER SEASONAL AVERAGES. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT...AND THUS LAL VALUES OF 2 AND 3 WILL BE THE ONLY CONCERN. BY MONDAY THE UPPER RIDGE BREAKS EAST AND OPENS THE DOOR TO AN UPPER TROUGH THAT WILL FOLLOW A TRACK CLOSE TO THE MEXICAN BORDER. THIS FEATURE LOOKS TO BRING ANOTHER FAIRLY WIDESPREAD RAINFALL EVENT TO MANY SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA...ESPECIALLY IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL ZONES WHERE NUMEROUS CELLS SHOULD DEVELOP MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. PRECIP WILL SHIFT EASTWARD LATE TUESDAY AND INTO TUESDAY NIGHT...SO AGAIN ONLY FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WOULD BE LIGHTNING THROUGH THIS TIME FRAME. HUMIDITY RECOVERY WOULD BE EXCELLENT IN MOST AREAS AGAIN EACH MORNING WITH DECENT WETTING RAIN POTENTIAL. THE NEXT INCOMING SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH A LONGER DURATION WITH INCREASED WINDS AND PERIODS OF PRECIPITATION. THIS VERY VAST AND BROAD UPPER LOW IS ALSO EXPECTED TO HOST COLDER TEMPERATURES...WHICH COULD BRING SOME SNOW BACK INTO THE FORECAST FOR HIGHER ELEVATIONS IF CURRENT MODEL TRENDS HOLD. 52 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 41 75 47 73 / 5 10 5 20 DULCE........................... 34 68 37 67 / 10 20 10 30 CUBA............................ 36 66 39 62 / 10 20 20 40 GALLUP.......................... 34 71 38 65 / 5 20 10 30 EL MORRO........................ 34 67 38 63 / 20 20 20 40 GRANTS.......................... 36 70 40 65 / 20 20 20 40 QUEMADO......................... 35 70 39 65 / 20 30 30 40 GLENWOOD........................ 45 76 48 70 / 10 20 20 40 CHAMA........................... 26 62 33 63 / 20 20 20 30 LOS ALAMOS...................... 34 66 39 62 / 20 20 30 40 PECOS........................... 33 65 39 62 / 20 20 40 50 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 27 65 32 64 / 10 20 20 30 RED RIVER....................... 32 53 33 49 / 30 30 30 50 ANGEL FIRE...................... 32 56 32 54 / 30 30 30 50 TAOS............................ 30 67 37 66 / 10 10 20 30 ESPANOLA........................ 40 74 44 69 / 10 10 20 30 SANTA FE........................ 34 67 40 62 / 20 20 30 50 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 39 69 43 65 / 10 20 30 40 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 46 73 48 66 / 20 20 30 50 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 48 72 51 68 / 10 20 30 40 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 48 74 51 69 / 10 20 30 40 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 47 73 51 68 / 20 20 30 40 LOS LUNAS....................... 47 74 50 69 / 10 10 30 40 RIO RANCHO...................... 47 73 49 67 / 20 20 30 40 SOCORRO......................... 46 74 49 68 / 10 10 30 40 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 40 67 42 60 / 30 30 40 50 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 39 71 43 66 / 20 20 30 40 CLINES CORNERS.................. 37 65 41 60 / 20 30 40 50 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 40 69 45 63 / 20 20 40 50 CARRIZOZO....................... 45 73 48 68 / 20 20 40 40 RUIDOSO......................... 39 61 41 55 / 20 30 40 50 CAPULIN......................... 34 62 37 59 / 20 20 30 30 RATON........................... 32 68 38 67 / 20 10 30 30 LAS VEGAS....................... 33 64 39 59 / 20 10 40 30 CLAYTON......................... 37 65 42 65 / 20 5 20 30 ROY............................. 40 63 42 59 / 10 5 30 30 CONCHAS......................... 40 70 46 68 / 10 5 20 30 SANTA ROSA...................... 40 70 46 67 / 10 5 30 30 TUCUMCARI....................... 40 70 44 67 / 20 5 20 20 CLOVIS.......................... 39 66 43 61 / 20 5 20 20 PORTALES........................ 40 67 44 63 / 20 5 20 20 FORT SUMNER..................... 41 71 47 68 / 10 5 20 20 ROSWELL......................... 43 73 48 67 / 10 5 20 20 PICACHO......................... 41 71 48 63 / 10 10 30 40 ELK............................. 38 67 43 61 / 20 10 30 50 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && GUYER/52
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 600 AM MDT SAT APR 17 2010 NMZ501>540-181200- ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA-CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS- CHUSKA MOUNTAINS-CURRY COUNTY-DE BACA COUNTY- EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS-EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY- EASTERN SAN MIGUEL COUNTY-ESTANCIA VALLEY-FAR NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS- FAR NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS-GUADALUPE COUNTY-HARDING COUNTY- JEMEZ MOUNTAINS-LOWER CHAMA RIVER VALLEY-LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTOS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER- NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS-NORTHWEST PLATEAU-QUAY COUNTY- RATON RIDGE/JOHNSON MESA-ROOSEVELT COUNTY-SAN FRANCISCO RIVER VALLEY- SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS-SANTA FE METRO AREA- SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTOS ABOVE 9500 FEET-SOUTHWEST CHAVES COUNTY- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS-UNION COUNTY-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- UPPER TULAROSA VALLEY-WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- WEST CENTRAL PLATEAU-WEST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS- 600 AM MDT SAT APR 17 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LOCALLY MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE BEFORE MOVING EASTWARD AND DECREASING IN INTENSITY. HEAVY RAINFALL ON SNOW PACK ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN MAY LEAD TO FLOODING AND INCREASED RUNOFF. AT LOWER ELEVATIONS...LOW LYING AREAS MAY BE INUNDATED WITH WATER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN WILL RETURN LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY AS ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE STATE. LOCALIZED FLOODING IS POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT RAINFALL AMOUNTS OR ANY FLOODING THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ABQ OR BY CALLING 1.888.386.7637. 34
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Rising water from the Rio Chamita resulted in flooding of yards, storage sheds and possibly a barn on the west side of Chama. No homes were flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, April 2010
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: 216486.