An upper level disturbance combined with a moderately moist and unstable environment to produce several thunderstorms over El Paso County. Severe wind gusts and flash flooding were reported with these storms.
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.
An upper level disturbance combined with a moderately moist and unstable environment to produce several thunderstorms over El Paso County. Severe wind gusts and flash flooding were reported with these storms.
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 16, 2:22 AM MST, 11 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 322 AM MDT FRI JUL 16 2010 .SYNOPSIS... WARM MOIST AIR WILL FLOW INTO SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND WESTERN TEXAS TODAY RESULTING IN A CHANCE FOR MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BRING MOSTLY DRY WEATHER SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. HOWEVER SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL PUSH MOISTURE BACK INTO THE REGION LATER NEXT WEEK WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURNING TO THE BORDERLAND. && .DISCUSSION... ABUNDANT MOISTURE REMAINS ACROSS THE CWA THIS MORNING WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS AROUND 55 TO 60 AND PRECIPITABLE WATER ABOVE AN INCH. THUS WEAK UPPER WAVE IS NOW CAUSING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EARLY THIS MORNING. MODELS AND SATELLITE DATA SUGGEST ANOTHER WEAK UPPER WAVE WILL ENTER THE REGION FROM THE EAST THIS AFTERNOON WHEN CAPES ARE AROUND 1000 J/KG. THIS SHOULD GENERATE SCATTERED CONVECTION WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS LATER TODAY AND EARLY THIS EVENING. TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY STRONG UPPER RIDGE WILL FURTHER EXPAND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND SOUTHWESTERN U.S. WITH WARM DRIER AIR AT MID LEVEL ADVECTING INTO NEW MEXICO AND WESTERN TEXAS. IN ADDITION ANY EMBEDDED WAVES WILL LIKELY BE SHUNTED SOUTH WITH THIS PATTERN. THUS WARM MOSTLY DRY WEATHER IS FORECASTED SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. LARGER SCALE CHANGES IN CIRCULATION WILL DEVELOP AFTER MONDAY AS RATHER DEEP HIGH AMPLITUDE TROUGH MOVES INTO THE WEST COAST WHILE UPPER HIGH CENTER REFORMS TO THE EAST. AS A RESULT DEEPER SOUTHEAST FLOW ENSUES WITH ATTENDANT FETCH OFF THE GULF OF MEXICO ADVECTING MORE ABUNDANT MOISTURE BACK INTO THE CWA. THUS STARTING TUESDAY CONVECTION SHOULD BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD. && .AVIATION... A FEW AREAS OF MVFR OR IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING. A FEW STORMS MAY PRODUCE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. MOSTLY VFR CONDITIONS ON SATURDAY. && .FIRE WEATHER... MOIST UNSTABLE AIR WILL FLOW INTO SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND WESTERN TEXAS TODAY RESULTING IN A CHANCE OF MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND THIS EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BRING WARM MOSTLY DRY WEATHER SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY EXCEPT FOR A FEW THUNDERSTORMS OVER HIGHER MOUNTAINS AND NEAR THE ARIZONA BORDER. WINDS BECOME MORE SOUTHEASTERLY BY TUESDAY WITH DEEPER MOISTURE FLOWING BACK INTO THE REGION. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD THEREFORE INCREASE LATER NEXT WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 96 74 98 74 100 / 30 20 10 10 10 SIERRA BLANCA TX 93 66 94 68 96 / 20 20 10 10 10 LAS CRUCES 95 70 97 70 99 / 30 20 10 10 10 ALAMOGORDO 94 67 96 69 100 / 30 20 10 10 10 CLOUDCROFT 70 51 75 51 77 / 30 30 10 10 10 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 94 67 96 69 98 / 30 20 10 10 10 SILVER CITY 85 62 86 64 89 / 40 30 20 20 20 DEMING 95 67 97 69 99 / 40 20 10 10 10 LORDSBURG 96 67 99 68 99 / 40 30 20 10 10 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && 05 ROGASH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 1115 AM MDT FRI JUL 16 2010 NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-171715- 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- 1115 AM MDT FRI JUL 16 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT DEEP MOISTURE REMAINS OVER THE AREA. WEAK IMPULSES ALOFT WILL TRACK OVER THE REGION FROM THE EAST AND NORTHEAST. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW STORMS WILL BECOME STRONG AND PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH. HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF MORE THAN AN INCH IS LIKELY OVER ISOLATED SPOTS. GENERALLY STORMS WILL FIRST FORM OVER THE AREA THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON. LATER DAY ACTIVITY SHOULD BE FOCUSED OVER THE DESERTS AND SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO THIS EVENING. LOCALIZED FLOODING IS THE MAIN THREAT TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND AREAL COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH OVER THE WEEKEND...WITH ONLY SLIGHT CHANCES OVER THE LOWLANDS EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE. ISOLATED STORMS EXPECTED OVER THE AREA MOUNTAINS AND FAR WESTERN LOWLANDS OF SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO. DEEP MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO RETURN BY LATE TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. AN INCREASE IN STORM ACTIVITY IS ON SLATE FOR LATE TUESDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER VIA OUR 800 NUMBER OR TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. BIRD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX 216 PM MDT FRI JUL 16 2010 TXZ055-162045- EL PASO TX- 216 PM MDT FRI JUL 16 2010 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THREATENING CENTRAL EL PASO COUNTY THROUGH 245 PM MDT... AT 214 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR EAST EL PASO...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... MISSION VALLEY... INTERSTATE 10 EAST OF HIGHWAY 54... THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. TORRENTIAL RAIN MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. JMG
The El Paso radar (KEPZ), 41 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:29 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding was reported at the intersection of Zaragoza and Rojas in El Paso.
A wind gust of 60 mph was estimated at the El Paso Texas Department of Transportation building.
The El Paso Times reported 20 families flooded out with one home lost due to flooding in area of Coker Road. Cars were also washed away. Additional flooding was reported by a spotter in Sparks, Texas.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, July 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: 248227, 248226, 248230.