Weak steering flow across New Mexico combined with deep atmospheric moisture and terrain-dominated forcing to produce locally heavy rainfall. Numerous storms impacted the Las Conchas burn scar for several hours during mid to late afternoon leading to flash flooding of the area above Cochiti Pueblo.
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 ABQ wrote it up.
Weak steering flow across New Mexico combined with deep atmospheric moisture and terrain-dominated forcing to produce locally heavy rainfall. Numerous storms impacted the Las Conchas burn scar for several hours during mid to late afternoon leading to flash flooding of the area above Cochiti Pueblo. A slow-moving thunderstorm on the north side of the Little Bear burn scar produced flash flooding within the Loma Grande subdivision. Slow-moving storms over western Colfax County produced radar estimated precipitation amounts of 3 to 5 inches. The Canadian River was raging along NM 555 between Vermejo Park and Raton. Several river gauges downstream toward Taylor Springs and Sanchez reported significant rises from this heavy rainfall. Significant flooding was also reported along the Canadian River near Sabinoso.
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 Aug 4, 10:36 AM MST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 1136 AM MDT SUN AUG 4 2013 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE CONSIDERABLY MORE ACTIVE THUNDERSTORM CROP FOR WESTERN AND MUCH OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO TODAY...AS COMPARED TO 24-HOURS AGO. THIS INCLUDES THE ABQ-SANTA FE CORRIDOR. STEERING FLOW GENERALLY S-SW TO N-NE BUT WEAKER THAN YESTERDAY. AS A RESULT...ANY POTENTIAL TSRA IMPACTS AT KSAF AND KABQ NOT EXPECTED UNTIL MID- AFTERNOON AT THE EARLIEST. EARLIER IMPACTS AT KGUP AND KLVS AND HAVE INCLUDED TEMPO GROUP THERE WHERE CONFIDENCE HIGHEST. FLOW REGIME FAVORABLE FOR AREAS OF SHRA IN THE VICINITY OF KABQ LATE INTO EVENING IF NOT PAST MIDNIGHT. ELSEWHERE...AIR MASS LEAST UNSTABLE OVER THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS AND UNFAVORABLE STEERING FLOW WILL PRECLUDE TSRA AT KROW. ISOLATED CONVECTION OVER EC/NE NM BUT NOT AS ROBUST AS YESTERDAY. OUTSIDE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON/TONIGHT...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PREVAIL. KJ && .PREV DISCUSSION...1054 AM MDT SUN AUG 4 2013... 16Z LAPS ANALYSIS AND RADAR TRENDS SHOW A LOT MORE ACTIVITY SO FAR THIS MORNING THAN SATURDAY. STORM MOTIONS WILL TRACK NORTH BTWN 5 AND 10 MPH SO ADDED LOCALLY HEAVY WORDING TO ZONES. A WELL DEFINED AREA OF MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS AND INSTABILITY MOVING NORTH INTO THE WESTERN HALF OF LINCOLN AND EASTERN SOCORRO COUNTIES IS SHOWN BY THE RUC AND HRRR TO EXPAND STORM COVERAGE THIS AFTERNOON. INCREASED POPS TO HIGH CHANCE/LIKELY FOR MUCH OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN EASTWARD ALONG THE EAST SLOPES. ALSO RAISED CHANCES FOR ABQ METRO AREA GIVEN CONVECTION ALREADY DEVELOPING TO OUR SOUTH. GUYER .PREV DISCUSSION...324 AM MDT SUN AUG 4 2013... SUBSIDENCE INVERSION JUST ABOVE 700MB PROGGED TO GRADUALLY DISSIPATE EARLY THIS MORNING AS OUTFLOWS FROM STORMS OVER NE NM CONTINUES TO PUSH SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH THE CANYONS OF THE CENTRAL MTNS...USHERING IN SLIGHTLY COOLER MID LEVEL AIR. NAMBUFR DATA ALSO PROGGING A MUCH BETTER INSTABILITY PROFILE FOR THIS AFTERNOON AS SURFACE TEMPERATURES WARM TO A DEGREE OR TWO ABOVE SATURDAY HIGHS AND 500MB TEMPS COOL BY ABOUT 1.5C. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS DURING THE LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON...THEN MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST BTWN 10-20MPH OVER THE CENTRAL AND WEST-CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE. STORMS WILL MOVE EASTWARD BTWN 5-10 MPH OVER THE NORTH AS THE FLOW ALOFT CURLS CLOCKWISE AROUND THE UPPER HIGH CENTER OVER WEST TX. AS THE UPPER HIGH CENTER INCHES EASTWARD MONDAY...500MB TEMPERATURES COOL ANOTHER DEGREE C OR SO...MAKING FOR A SLIGHTLY MORE UNSTABLE AIRMASS. ELY WAVE IS FORECAST BY ALL NWP MODELS TO ROUND THE BASE OF THE UPPER HIGH AND HEAD NORTHWARD INTO AZ TUESDAY FORENOON. DEEP SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE GETS PULLED UP IN THE SLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE WAVE OVER NM TUESDAY AFTERNOON. BOTH NAM AND GFS DEEPEN THE WAVE OVER SE COLORADO TUESDAY NIGHT...CLOSING IT OFF NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS WEDNESDAY. THIS FEATURE SHOULD ACT TO HELP GET SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS STORMS TO FIRE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN NM WEDNESDAY AS COLDER AIR ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW GRADUALLY INVADE THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PUMPS UP RAPIDLY OVER THE REGION THURSDAY...MAKING FOR A DOWN DAY FOR CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY FORECAST AREA-WIDE. BOTH GFS AND ECMWF BRING BACK THE MONSOONAL PLUME IN A HURRY THURSDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE IT THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND. 33 .FIRE WEATHER... WETTING RAINS WILL FAVOR WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY UNDER THE EASTERN-MOST EXTENT OF THE MONSOONAL MOISTURE PLUME. THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS...NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS AND NORTHEAST PLAINS WILL LIKELY BENEFIT FROM WETTING RAINS AS WELL. TEMPERATURES WILL GENERALLY BE NEAR NORMAL WEST AND ABOVE NORMAL EAST. VENT RATES ARE FORECAST TO BE FAIR TO POOR CENTRAL AND WEST...BUT HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON CLOUDS AND POTENTIAL RAIN-COOLING LIMITING SURFACE HEATING. MORE OF THE SAME ON MONDAY AS THE UPPER HIGH CENTER REMAINS TO THE EAST OVER CENTRAL TEXAS. TUESDAY WILL BE A TRANSITION DAY AS PRESSURE HEIGHTS DECREASE WITH AN EASTERLY WAVE MOVING AROUND THE UPPER HIGH CIRCULATION OVER ARIZONA AND INTO THE FOUR CORNERS AREA. THIS WILL HELP TO DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE AND SHOULD LEAD TO AN UPTICK IN WETTING RAINS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. A BACKDOOR FRONT WILL GET INTO THE MIX TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS AND COMBINE WITH THE EASTERLY WAVE TO BRING WETTING RAINS TO MUCH OF THE EAST...ESPECIALLY NORTHEAST. TEMPERATURES WILL TREND DOWN DURING THIS PERIOD ACROSS THE EAST AND HUMIDITIES WILL TREND UP. A MORE TRADITIONAL MONSOON SYNOPTIC WEATHER PATTERN LOOKS TO DEVELOP BY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK...WITH THE UPPER HIGH NEAR THE ARKLATEX AND A WEST COAST TROUGH ALLOWING FOR DEEP SOUTHERLIES ACROSS NEW MEXICO. NO END IN SIGHT TO DAILY ROUNDS OF WETTING SHOWERS AND STORMS. 11 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 441 AM MDT SUN AUG 4 2013 NMZ501>540-051130- 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- 441 AM MDT SUN AUG 4 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE MOUNTAINS ONCE AGAIN TODAY WITH ISOLATED STORMS ELSEWHERE. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING IN AND NEAR RECENT BURN SCARS IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THE RULE ONCE AGAIN MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MOST ACTIVE THUNDERSTORM DAY OF THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK APPEARS TO BE TUESDAY AS DEEP MONSOON MOISTURE MOVES NORTHWARD THROUGH NEW MEXICO. 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 Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:31 UTC.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Roads washed over and impassible below canyons in the Loma Grande subdivision.
High flows reported over several low water crossings beneath Bland and Peralta Canyons.
Off duty NWS employee reported while traveling in northeast NM. Met with a highway patrol supervisor who gave information on a flash flood event that did considerable damage to sections of SR 419 just north of Trementina. NMDOT was in the process of replacing two bridges (1/8 mile apart) that span arroyos in this area and had temporary detours in place. The water took out a total of three 7 foot culverts that had been in place for over a decade and a local rancher said the water was 7-8 feet deep. It scoured the pavement.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2013
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: 458063, 458070, 462277.