A weak surface low was located near Las Cruces with very little flow aloft allowed very slow moving thunderstorms to develop across the area. Very heavy rain occurred over Las Cruces along with localized flooding.
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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.
A weak surface low was located near Las Cruces with very little flow aloft allowed very slow moving thunderstorms to develop across the area. Very heavy rain occurred over Las Cruces along with localized flooding.
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 Aug 11, 1:55 PM MST, 6 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 255 PM MDT THU AUG 11 2011 .SYNOPSIS... INCREASING MOISTURE WITH THE SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AROUND THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SOME HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCAL FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE. THE MOISTURE DECREASES ON MONDAY AND AFTERWARDS AS HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT MOVES IN. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME ISOLATED AND MUCH MORE SPOTTY. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE AROUND NORMAL...GIVING US AN EXTENDED BREAK FROM THE HOT TEMPERATURES RECENTLY. && .DISCUSSION... WV IMAGERY SHOWING UPPER HIGH OVER SE TEXAS AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...WITH BROAD MOISTURE PLUME IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT COVERING ALL OF THE CWA. GOES SOUNDER DATA SHOWS PW'S AROUND 1.3 - 1.5 INCHES THIS AFTERNOON. MAIN UPPER LOW NOW NEAR THE NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA WITH TROUGH EXTENDING BACK EASTWARD ACROSS THE EXTREME SOUTHERN CWA. ALSO VISIBLE WITHIN THIS TROUGH IS A VORT CENTER WITH A LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION JUST EAST OF ANTELOPE WELLS. WITH ALL THESE FEATURES...THE MAIN CONVECTION PATTERN WAS STILL THE OLD TRIED AND TRUE LATE MORNING MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS. THE FIRST FEW OVER THE SACS LATE THIS MORNING WERE QUITE STRONG. THE HEAVY RAIN WITH THESE STORMS LIKELY STABILIZED MOST OF THE AREA OUT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. THE BLACK RANGE/GILA MTNS HAVE STARTED FIRING OFF AS OF EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. NAM12 SHOWS A GOOD CONVERGENCE LINE EXTENDING FROM THE SACS DOWN TO THE GUADALUPE MTNS AND SOUTHWARD TOWARDS THE BIG BEND...AND THIS AREA IS GETTING QUITE ACTIVE. OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF THE MODELS REMAINS QUITE CONSISTENT. BOTH NAM/GFS AS SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT AND CONSIDERABLE MOISTURE ADVECTION CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY. POPS INTO THE SCATTERED CATEGORY FOR THESE DAYS...THOUGH GFS HINTING AT MOISTURE PLUME SHIFTING WEST ON SUNDAY SO DECREASED POPS SOME IN THE EAST. THROUGH SUNDAY...WITH THE HIGH PW'S AND LIGHT FLOW ALOFT...HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODING POTENTIAL WILL EXIST. FOR MONDAY AND BEYOND...GFS CONTINUES TO SHOW UPPER HIGH RE-CENTERING OVER MUCH OF NEW MEXICO. THIS WILL FORCE THE MOISTURE PLUME WEST AND BECOME MUCH MORE DIFFUSE WITH TIME. SOME WARMING ALOFT WITH THE RISING HEIGHTS WILL PROVIDE CAPPING AND SHOULD SEND MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY BACK TO THE ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS MOUNTAINS AND ISOLATED EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ALL AREAS. && .AVIATION...VALID 12/00Z-13/00Z. MAINLY VFR WITH LIGHT WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD. HOWEVER...THERE WILL BE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING AND AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON. EXPECT AREAS OF SCT-BKN040-070 BKN-OVC090-120 AND VSBY 1/2-2SM TSRA. STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL ARE ALSO POSSIBLE NEAR ANY THUNDERSTORMS. && .FIRE DISCUSSION... WEAKENING HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT AND AN UPPER LEVEL LOW TRACKING SLOWLY WEST ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER WILL BRING INCREASED MOISTURE TO THE REGION TODAY AND FRIDAY. THIS WILL LEAD TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY WITH AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN AND THE CHANCE FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE DOWN TO NEAR NORMAL DUE TO THE INCREASED CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION. THAT HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT EAST OVER THE WEEKEND...BRINGING A SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW OF MOIST AIR FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO THAT WILL CONTINUE TO FUEL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS THE WEEKEND. EXPECT TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH MAINLY LIGHT WINDS. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY FROM THE MID 20S TO LOWER 30S ACROSS THE LOWER DESERTS WITH VERY LOW (2 OR 3) HAINES INDICES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 74 98 75 96 75 / 30 10 30 30 30 SIERRA BLANCA TX 69 95 69 93 69 / 30 10 30 30 30 LAS CRUCES 71 97 72 96 72 / 30 10 30 30 30 ALAMOGORDO 68 96 68 92 68 / 30 20 40 30 40 CLOUDCROFT 51 72 52 70 50 / 30 30 40 40 40 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 69 95 69 93 69 / 30 20 30 30 40 SILVER CITY 62 88 61 87 63 / 30 20 30 30 40 DEMING 70 97 70 94 70 / 30 20 30 30 30 LORDSBURG 70 97 70 94 70 / 30 20 30 30 30 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && HEFNER/PARK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 1029 AM MDT THU AUG 11 2011 NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-121715- 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- 1029 AM MDT THU AUG 11 2011 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 MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ALL AREAS TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH SUNDAY...WITH SOME HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCAL FLOODING POSSIBLE. MOSTLY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY OBSERVED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OR FLOODING TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THIS OFFICE.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX 328 PM MDT THU AUG 11 2011 NMZ024-032-112215- SOUTHERN DESERT NM-TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT NM- 328 PM MDT THU AUG 11 2011 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM THREATENING EASTERN DONA ANA AND WESTERN OTERO COUNTIES THROUGH 415 PM MDT... AT 326 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF LAS CRUCES...AND JUST NORTH OF THE WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE HEADQUARTERS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 5 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... PORTIONS OF US-70 NEAR WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE HEADQUARTERS. 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. HARDIMAN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX 718 PM MDT THU AUG 11 2011 NMZ024-032-120200- SOUTHERN DESERT NM-TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT NM- 718 PM MDT THU AUG 11 2011 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SAN AUGUSTIN PASS... AT 715 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES EAST OF LAS CRUCES...NEAR SAN AUGUSTIN PASS. THIS STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. OUTFLOW WIND GUSTING UP TO 52 MPH HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON THE EAST MESA. AREA WEB CAMS INDICATE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING DUST IN THE AREA AS WELL. WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED OVER PARTS OF THE LAS CRUCES AREA. STRONG GUSTS WILL ALSO AFFECT THE WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE HEADQUARTERS AND RECREATION AREAS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... LAS CRUCES... EAST MESA... TALAVERA... JORNADA RANGE... WHITE SANDS MAIN POST... NMSU MAIN CAMPUS... ORGAN... AGUIRRE SPRINGS... SOLEDAD CANYON... DRIPPING SPRINGS... HARDIMAN
The El Paso radar (KEPZ), 46 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:12 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
New Mexico State University police reported a large amount of standing water making for hazardous travel on the eastbound lane of College between Knox and Union.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2011
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: 339646.