Moisture was coming into the area from Tropical Storm Octave in the Pacific Ocean. Additional low-level moisture was moving in from the Gulf of Mexico.
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 MAF wrote it up.
Moisture was coming into the area from Tropical Storm Octave in the Pacific Ocean. Additional low-level moisture was moving in from the Gulf of Mexico. A stationary front was present near the Pecos River, and upper level disturbances were moving over the area from the tropical storm providing additional lift. This good supply of moisture and combined lift helped to create flash flooding in southeast New Mexico and the Permian Basin.
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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 13, 10:28 AM MST, 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
1228 PM CDT Sun Oct 13 2013
.DISCUSSION...
See aviation discussion below.
&&
.AVIATION...
Radar indicates SHRA/TSRA are increasing in coverage, especially in
the HOB area. Meanwhile an outflow boundary will move thru MAF
before/around 1830z with gusty winds around 30kts possible, probably
from the NW. Otherwise MVFR CIGS are slowly lifting, but will still
be variable in/around SHRA/TSRA thru the afternoon. Have included
TEMPO groups for TSRA into early evening, less so across the far
west, CNM. MVFR to possibly IFR CIG/VSBY conditions are expected to
develop tonight and Mon AM, and starting to lift around 15z.
&&
.MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NM...NONE.
TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH through Monday afternoon FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES... Big Bend Area...Borden...Crane...Ector...
Glasscock...Howard...Martin...Midland...Mitchell...Pecos...
Reagan...Scurry...Terrell...Upton.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 314 AM CDT SUN OCT 13 2013 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-132000- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY-GAINES- DAWSON-BORDEN-SCURRY-ANDREWS-MARTIN-HOWARD-MITCHELL- VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR-REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS- LOVING-WINKLER-ECTOR-MIDLAND-GLASSCOCK-WARD-CRANE-UPTON-REAGAN- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA-PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-MARFA PLATEAU- BIG BEND AREA-TERRELL-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS- 314 AM CDT SUN OCT 13 2013 /214 AM MDT SUN OCT 13 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST TEXAS AND WEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO TODAY WITH AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON...CONTINUING THROUGH TONIGHT. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM CDT FOR THE BIG BEND AREA...STOCKTON PLATEAU...LOWER TRANS PECOS AND THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN...GENERALLY EAST OF A LINE FROM LAMESA TO LAJITAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN WILL BEGIN TO MOVE OUT OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS MONDAY MORNING. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 1 PM CDT MONDAY GENERALLY EAST OF A LINE FROM LAMESA TO LAJITAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN MIDLAND CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT /LOWER CASE/ HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/MIDLAND 05
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 706 AM CDT SUN OCT 13 2013 NMZ028-033-034-TXZ058-059-131300- LOVING-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS- REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS- 606 AM MDT SUN OCT 13 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING NORTH CENTRAL REEVES...NORTHWESTERN LOVING...SOUTHEASTERN EDDY AND SOUTHERN LEA COUNTIES UNTIL 700 AM MDT/800 AM CDT/... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 25 MILES SOUTH OF HALFWAY AT 604 AM MDT/704 AM CDT/...MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH. ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED ON THE EDDY AND LEA COUNTY LINE 17 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HALFWAY...AND 13 MILES NORTHEAST OF ORLA. BOTH STORMS ARE MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... IN ADDITION TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS TO 45 MPH...DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER NOW. && LAT...LON 3274 10398 3264 10316 3185 10356 3185 10387 TIME...MOT...LOC 1204Z 178DEG 15KT 3222 10370
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 122 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:00 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain moved across Lea County and produced flash flooding in Hobbs. Several street intersections in Hobbs were reported to be flooded with one to one and a half feet of water. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
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, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 477976.