Slow-moving, heavy thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall over mesas to the east of Tesuque that resulted in flash flooding in the village center. Mud and rocks covered the roadways more than 1 foot deep at the village market and elementary school.
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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.
Slow-moving, heavy thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall over mesas to the east of Tesuque that resulted in flash flooding in the village center. Mud and rocks covered the roadways more than 1 foot deep at the village market and elementary school.
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 Jul 26, 10:51 AM MST, 1 hour 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1151 AM MDT THU JUL 26 2012 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE ANOTHER ACTIVE TS/SH DAY EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF CWFA. TEMPO WITH VRB GUSTY WIND AND MID LEVEL BASED CIGS PLACED IN SAF AND LVS TERMINAL SITES. USING VCTS/VCSH IN A 2 TO 3 HOUR TIME FRAME TO INDICATE BEST POTENTIAL OF AFFECTS AT GUP AND ABQ. MODELS VERY BULLISH ON A BAND DVLPING OVER SANDIA/MANZANOS AND TRACKING TOWARDS THE WEST/SOUTHWEST BUT CU FIELD LOOKS A LITTLE RAGGED AT THIS TIME. AS HEATING CONTINUES...SUSPECT WE WILL GET MORE DEFINITION AND THEN WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO UPDATE ABQ TERMINAL FORECAST. EAST WIND WILL ALSO AFFECT ABQ THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AND STRENGTH WILL BE DEPENDENT ON WHAT DEVELOPS TO THE EAST. WENT WITH A MODERATE WIND FLOW AT THIS TIME. THINKING TCC HAS LEAST POTENTIAL FOR STORM IMPACTS. FMN AND ROW ON THE EDGE AS WELL BUT USING VCSH AT THIS TIME FOR THOSE SITES. BASED ON MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE CENTRAL SITES COULD VERY WELL SEE LOCALIZED AND SHORT DURATION SIGNIFICANT CIG/VIS REDUCTIONS DUE TO HEAVY RAIN. 50 && .PREV DISCUSSION...343 AM MDT THU JUL 26 2012... LINE OF LIGHT SHOWERS OUTLINING THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN ON RADAR EARLY THIS MORNING AS THE FLOW AT LOW AND MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES EAST-NORTHEASTERLY. UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER NORTHEAST ARIZONA THIS MORNING EXPECTED TO SLIDE NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE DAY...CHANGING THE STEERING FLOW TO LIGHT EASTERLY. AS IS TYPICAL...ATTEMPTING TO FORECAST WHEN CONVECTION WILL FIRE GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF CURRENT CLOUD COVER SUCH A CHALLENGE BUT CURRENT THINKING IS THAT THINGS WILL DEVELOP RELATIVELY EARLY...DURING THE LATE MORNING HOURS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND AND SLOWLY PUSH WESTWARD AROUND MIDDAY. BACK DOOR FRONTAL BOUNDARY TOUGH TO DECIPHER OVER NM WITH CURRENT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOWS BUT MODELS CONTINUE TO INSIST ON A SYNOPTIC SCALE STRENGTHENING EAST TO WEST PRESSURE GRADIENT THROUGH THE DAY. ELY STEERING FLOW WILL BRING HIGHER SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES TO THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS AND VALLEYS OF THE SANDIA...MANZANO AND SANGRE DE CRISTO MTNS TODAY. PRECIPITABLE WATER AMOUNTS OF AROUND 1.25 INCHES WILL SPELL AN ELEVATED THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING WHEN COMBINED WITH THE WEAK STORM STEERING LEVEL FLOW. CONTINUED EARLIER TREND OF RAISING POPS OVER THE CENTRAL VALLEYS BUT HELD OFF ON FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR NOW GIVEN THE LACK OF ANY REGIONAL OR LARGE SCALE FORCING MECHANISM. LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTING THAT FRIDAY WILL BE VERY SIMILAR TO TODAY...LESS OF A FOCUS ON JUST CENTRAL AND WRN AREAS. THE MAIN CHANGE ON FRIDAY WILL BE THE FASTER STEERING LEVEL FLOW...PUSHING STORMS W-NWWD AT AROUND 15KTS...LIMITING FLASH FLOODING POTENTIAL SOMEWHAT. FOCUS SHIFTS TO CENTRAL AND WESTERN NM THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS A MORE CLASSIC TYPE MONSOONAL UPPER LEVEL FLOW SETS UP. THIS IS THE TYPE OF FLOW PATTERN WHERE THE GILA AND THE WHITEWATER BALDY BURN SCAR AREA SEE THEIR BEST CHANCES FOR WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL AS A DEEP SLY/UPSLOPE FLOW SETS IN. WILL KEEP A CLOSE EYE FLASH FLOOD WATCH POTENTIAL FOR THIS AREA OVER THE WEEKEND. 33 .FIRE WEATHER... ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS DEVELOPED WEDNESDAY AND BROUGHT WETTING RAINS TO THE NORTHERN...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHCENTRAL MOUNTAINS. HOWEVER...RAINFALL AMOUNTS WERE LESS THAN TUESDAY'S. TODAY'S CROP WILL FAVOR THE SAME AREAS...EXCEPT WITH BETTER COVERAGE ALONG THE SANGRES AND SANDIAS/MANZANOS AS A WEAK BACKDOOR COLD FRONT PROVIDES UPSLOPE FLOW. TODAY'S HIGHS WILL GENERALLY BE LESS THAN YESTERDAY'S...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHEAST QUARTER WHERE THE AFFECTS OF THE BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL BE MOST PRONOUNCED. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL TREND UP TODAY AS WELL. THE LATEST MODEL SOLUTIONS ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST CYCLE IN SHOWING THE BACKDOOR COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AND SPREADING LOW LAYER MOISTURE INTO WESTERN NEW MEXICO. AT THE SAME TIME...THE UPPER HIGH WILL CONTINUE MAKING AN EASTWARD JOURNEY TO OVER TX/OK BY 60HRS. THIS SHIFT WILL ALLOW A DECENT MOISTURE PLUME TO MATERIALIZE ACROSS WESTERN NEW MEXICO AND EASTERN ARIZONA OVER THE WEEKEND. AREAS EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN WILL UNDERGO A DRYING/WARMING TREND AS THE UPPER HIGH EXPANDS FROM OVER TX/OK. EARLY NEXT WEEK...THE UPPER HIGH IS FORECAST TO SHIFT BACK WEST AND BECOME CENTERED OVER NEW MEXICO...LEADING TO A WARMING/DRYING TREND GOING THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. DAILY ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AS MOISTURE IS RECYCLED...BUT THE TREND WILL BE DOWN EACH DAY WITH THE ABSENCE OF A MONSOONAL MOISTURE PLUME. 11 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 530 AM MDT THU JUL 26 2012 NMZ501>540-271200- NORTHWEST PLATEAU-CHUSKA MOUNTAINS-FAR NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS- NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS-WEST CENTRAL PLATEAU-WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS- SAN FRANCISCO RIVER VALLEY-SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-JEMEZ MOUNTAINS- WEST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET- EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- LOWER CHAMA RIVER VALLEY-SANTA FE METRO AREA-ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA- LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY-SANDIA/MANZANO MOUNTAINS-ESTANCIA VALLEY- CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-UPPER TULAROSA VALLEY- SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-RATON RIDGE/JOHNSON MESA- FAR NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-UNION COUNTY- HARDING COUNTY-EASTERN SAN MIGUEL COUNTY-GUADALUPE COUNTY- QUAY COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY-ROOSEVELT COUNTY-DE BACA COUNTY- CHAVES COUNTY PLAINS-EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHWEST CHAVES COUNTY- 530 AM MDT THU JUL 26 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. HOWEVER...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...MOSTLY OCCURRING IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING... WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO TODAY. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED HIGH FLOWS IN...OR EVEN FLASH FLOODING OF...SMALL STREAMS...ARROYOS AND WASHES STILL SHOULD BE IN THE VICINITY OF THE WHITEWATER BALDY...LITTLE BEAR AND LOS CONCHAS BURN SCARS. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. HOWEVER...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN ARE EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN FRIDAY. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR HIGH FLOWS OR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING IN AND BELOW RECENT FOREST BURN SCARS FROM SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL SHIFT TO THE WESTERN THIRD OF NEW MEXICO OVER THE WEEKEND. DRIER AIR WILL BEGIN FILTERING INTO THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK...LIMITING THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE TO MAINLY MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS. WEATHER CAN CHANGE VERY RAPIDLY. ALWAYS USE THE LATEST FORECASTS... WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 33
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:57 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Over 1 foot of mud and rocks washed over roadways in Tesuque around the Village Market and Elementary School. Public works crews spent multiple hours removing mud and rocks with several dump trucks. One car was stranded in the mud.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, July 2012
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: 386082.