A backdoor cold front pushed through the eastern plains during the afternoon and evening of the 10th, enhancing thunderstorm development along and east of the central mountains. Storms coalesced around east central New Mexico and continued moving slowly to the east, dropping heavy rain and occasional hail.
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.
A backdoor cold front pushed through the eastern plains during the afternoon and evening of the 10th, enhancing thunderstorm development along and east of the central mountains. Storms coalesced around east central New Mexico and continued moving slowly to the east, dropping heavy rain and occasional hail. The largest hail reported was quarter size near Logan, an area that also received 5.05 inches of rain throughout the event. The heavy rains produced flash flooding along U.S. Highway 54 between Corona and Carrizozo, causing the road to be closed for 45 minutes. Additional reports of minor flooding were noted in Fort Sumner, Cedarvale, Santa Fe and Ruidoso.
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 10, 2:29 AM MST, 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 329 AM MDT MON AUG 10 2015 .SYNOPSIS... A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO SWEEP SOUTH/WESTWARD TODAY INTO TONIGHT. THE FRONT WILL SERVE AS A FOCUS MECHANISM FOR WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN AND LOCALIZED FLOODING ARE EXPECTED AND FAVOR CENTRAL/EASTERN LOCATIONS. A DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIRMASS WILL INVADE SOUTHERN AREAS ON TUESDAY AND SHIFT THE HEAVY RAIN FOCUS TO NORTHERN AREAS. THIS DRIER AIRMASS WILL ULTIMATELY OVERTAKE THE REST OF NORTHERN/CENTRAL NEW MEXICO ON WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE IMPACTS INTO THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. AS THE UPPER HIGH CENTERS ITSELF OVER THE STATE LATE IN THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND...MOISTURE WILL GRADUALLY SEEP INTO IT AND PROMOTE THE TYPICAL AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING THUNDERSTORMS FAVORING THE MOUNTAINS. ANOTHER BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL BE POSSIBLE EARLY THE FOLLOWING WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM SIGNIFICANTLY AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES. AREAWIDE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED MID TO LATE WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... KEPT WITH THE HEAVY RAIN THEME ACROSS EASTERN/CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE BACK DOOR FRONT WAS ENHANCED BY THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOWS AND HAS PUSHED FURTHER WEST/SOUTH THAN THE MODELS ANTICIPATED. SUSPECT THIS WILL SHIFT THE FOCUS FOR HEAVY RAIN A BIT MORE WEST/SOUTH THAN THE MODELS CURRENTLY INDICATE. DECIDED TO ADD A FEW MORE FORECAST ZONES TO THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH...INCLUDING THE JEMEZ AND SE ZONES. ANTECEDENT TOP SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS SUPPORT THIS ADDITION AS WELL. PONDERED THE THOUGHT OF ADDING PORTIONS OF LINCOLN/BERNALILLO COUNTY BASED ON THE FRONTAL PUSH ALTHOUGH MODEL PROJECTED PWAT VALUES ARE LESS THAN IDEAL. THE MODELS COULD BE WRONG THOUGH. THE SLOW STEERING FLOW FOR THE STORMS CERTAINLY SUPPORTS HEAVY RAIN POSSIBILTIES. WILL MONITOR ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE TRENDS FOR LINCOLN/BERNAILLO COUNTIES. ALSO BUMPED UP POPS TO REFLECT THE HIGHER CONFIDENCE AREAS AND SPREAD THEM A BIT FURTHER SOUTH/WEST. MODELS REMAIN VERY BULLISH AND CONSISTENT WITH DRAGGING DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR OVER SOUTHERN AREAS ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL SHIFT THE HEAVY RAIN FOCUS TO THE NORTH...BASICALLY NORTHERN THIRD TO HALF. WILL NOT EXTEND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH ON THIS SHIFT BUT THE NEXT SHIFTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO ASCERTAIN ANTECEDENT SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS AFTER TODAY/S RESULTS AND BETTER FIGURE OUT THE MAIN THREAT AREAS FOR HEAVY RAIN. THE DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIRMASS SHOULD OVERTAKE THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY AND LAST THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY IF NOT FRIDAY. THE UPPER HIGH WOULD BE FOUND DIRECTLY OVER THE STATE. TEMPS WOULD TREND UP DURING THE DAYTIME AND CONTINUE TO GO ABOVE MODEL GUIDANCE FOR THIS PERIOD. ALSO KEPT LOWER TEMPS FOR THE MORENO VALLEY AS A RESULT OF THE FALLING DEWPOINT. PERHAPS NOT HAVING MINIMUM TEMPS LOW ENOUGH FOR THAT AREA. SUSPECT SOME TEMP RECORDS WILL BE APPROACHED IF NOT EXCEEDED DURING THIS PERIOD. 700 MB TEMPS STILL PREDICTED TO RANGE BETWEEN 18 TO 20 C LATE WEEK. CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING FOR THIS PERIOD...INCLUDING POP/TEMP TRENDS. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT WITH THEIR DEPICTION OF THE WEATHER DURING THIS TIME FRAME. THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF UNCERTAINTY BETWEEN THE LONG RANGE MODELS WITH THEIR DEPICTION OF THE UPPER HIGH LOCATION. THE ECMWF MIGRATES IT FURTHER WEST THAN THE GFS. IF THE ECMWF IS CORRECT...THEN A MORE ROBUST BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WOULD IMPACT EASTERN AREAS LATER SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THE GFS INDICATES SOME SORT OF FRONTAL INTRUSION ALTHOUGH WEAKER IN ORIGIN. EITHER WAY...MOISTURE SHOULD GRADUALLY ENTRAIN INTO THE UPPER HIGH AND PROMOTE MORE TYPICAL SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE MOUNTAINS WOULD BE FAVORED. 50 && .FIRE WEATHER... AFTER A WET PERIOD TODAY AND TONIGHT...DRIER AIR WILL BEGIN TO MOVE OVER THE AREA FROM THE SOUTHEAST ON TUESDAY. AFTER HOT AND DRIER WEATHER WITH AN UPPER HIGH OVERHEAD WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...MONSOON MOISTURE WILL GRADUALLY RETURN TO THE AREA UNDERNEATH THE UPPER HIGH FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A MOIST BACK DOOR COLD FRONT THAT PLUNGED SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH THE PLAINS OVERNIGHT WILL SHIFT WESTWARD TO THE AZ BORDER BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. MEANWHILE AN UPPER LOW DROPPING SOUTHWARD ALONG THE W COAST...AND AN UPPER HIGH CENTERED EAST OF NM...WILL ADVECT RICH MONSOON MOISTURE NORTHWARD OVER W NM AND E AZ. THIS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR A WET 24 HOUR PERIOD ACROSS THE WEST AND VERY WET FROM THE MANZANO...SANDIA AND SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS EASTWARD. BROAD COVERAGE OF 1 TO 1.75 INCH RAIN AMOUNTS IS LIKELY ACROSS E CENTRAL AND NE AREAS TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS AND FLASH FLOODING POSSIBLE DUE TO PERSISTENT MOIST EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW. MODEL 700-500 MB STREAMLINES SUGGEST SOME VARIABLE AND SLOW STORM MOTIONS TODAY...BUT THE GENERAL DRIFT SHOULD BE TOWARD THE E OR NE AT SPEEDS UNDER 10 MPH. STORMS ACROSS THE NE COULD TRAVEL A BIT FASTER. TUESDAY THE UPPER HIGH CENTER WILL TRY TO SHIFT WESTWARD CLOSER TO E NM...BUT THE LOW REMAINING STATIONARY OFF THE W COAST MAY PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. EITHER WAY...MODELS DEPICT A DRY SLOT WRAPPING AROUND THE UPPER HIGH AND OVER CENTRAL AND SE PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE SE. THIS SHOULD EFFECTIVELY CAP SIGNIFICANT WETTING CONVECTION THERE. HOWEVER...THE MONSOON MOISTURE PLUME IS EXPECTED TO KEEP WETTING THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVE AS IT MOVES NORTHWARD ALONG THE AZ/NM BORDER AND NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE NM/CO BORDER. RAIN AMOUNTS IN THE 0.25 TO 0.50 INCH RANGE SHOULD BE COMMON NEAR THE NM/CO BORDER TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH GENERALLY LIGHTER AND SPOTTIER BUT STILL WETTING AMOUNTS ALONG THE NM/AZ BORDER. HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT DROP NEAR AND A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL TODAY SHOULD DROP A FEW DEGREES FURTHER ACROSS THE NE HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY. THE GFS AND ECMWF DEPICT THE UPPER HIGH CENTER MOVING MORE SQUARELY OVER NM WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THEN THERE IS SOME DISAGREEMENT ON WHETHER IT WILL SHIFT WEST OF NM ON SUNDAY. DRIER AND HOTTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY INTO FRIDAY. SPOTTY STORMS WITH SMALL WETTING FOOTPRINTS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE N MOUNTAINS AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE SW MOUNTAINS. SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY MAY DRIFT SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF NM THURSDAY EVENING...DEPENDING ON WHERE THE UPPER HIGH CENTERS. HIGH TEMPS LOOK TO PEAK AROUND 5 TO 12 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH THE GREATEST ANOMALIES ACROSS SOUTHEAST AREAS. AN UPPER TROUGH PASSING EASTWARD ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER LOOKS TO DRAW SOME BETTER MOISTURE NORTHWARD UNDER THE UPPER HIGH LATE FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY CAUSING AN UPWARD TREND IN THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE. A MOIST LOW LEVEL RETURN FLOW OUT OF THE SE IS ALSO EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE PLAINS. THIS MONSOON MOISTURE SHOULD CONTINUE TO GET RICHER SUNDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH DEEPENS ON THE W COAST. DESPITE THE IMPROVING MOISTURE...HIGH TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL THIS WEEKEND DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE UPPER HIGH. A POCKET OF POOR VENTILATION IS FORECAST OVER THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS TODAY...THEN ACROSS E CENTRAL AND NE AREAS ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. A LARGER POOR POCKET SHOULD THEN DEVELOP AROUND BLUE WATER LAKE AND MAGDALENA NORTHEASTWARD TO RED RIVER THURSDAY. THIS AREA IS LIKELY TO EXPAND AND INCLUDE MUCH OF W CENTRAL AND SW AREAS FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. 44 && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE MOISTURE TO BE REFRESHED DURING NEXT 24 HRS AS LOW LEVEL EASTERLY WINDS DEVELOP INTO THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN AND INTO THE RGV...COMBINED WITH MID LEVEL MOISTURE SURGING NWD FROM OLD MEXICO. LINGERING CONVECTION MAINLY NE NM WITH ISOLD MVFR CIGS/VSBYS IN SHRA/TSRA SFC WND GUSTS TO 35KT. AFT 18Z MTS OCCASIONALLY OBSCD IN MVFR CIGS/VSBYS IN SCT SHRA/TSRA SFC WND GUSTS TO 40KT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 89 63 87 61 / 10 50 50 70 DULCE........................... 83 54 79 49 / 20 60 60 70 CUBA............................ 81 55 80 52 / 40 70 50 30 GALLUP.......................... 84 57 84 54 / 40 60 30 40 EL MORRO........................ 80 55 81 53 / 60 70 40 30 GRANTS.......................... 83 56 82 53 / 40 60 30 20 QUEMADO......................... 81 56 83 53 / 50 30 20 10 GLENWOOD........................ 86 59 88 58 / 20 30 20 5 CHAMA........................... 78 50 75 46 / 40 60 60 60 LOS ALAMOS...................... 81 59 80 57 / 50 70 50 30 PECOS........................... 79 56 77 52 / 80 90 60 20 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 77 54 76 50 / 60 60 50 40 RED RIVER....................... 67 48 68 43 / 60 70 70 50 ANGEL FIRE...................... 69 49 69 44 / 70 80 80 40 TAOS............................ 79 55 77 49 / 50 60 40 30 MORA............................ 74 53 74 51 / 80 80 70 30 ESPANOLA........................ 86 58 85 56 / 30 60 40 20 SANTA FE........................ 82 59 82 57 / 80 70 50 20 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 86 59 84 57 / 60 70 40 20 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 87 63 86 61 / 50 70 40 20 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 89 66 88 64 / 30 70 30 10 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 91 64 90 63 / 30 60 20 10 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 91 63 89 62 / 30 60 30 10 LOS LUNAS....................... 91 64 90 62 / 20 50 20 10 RIO RANCHO...................... 90 63 87 61 / 30 60 30 10 SOCORRO......................... 93 63 92 62 / 20 30 10 5 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 83 60 83 58 / 70 80 50 20 TIJERAS......................... 86 60 84 59 / 70 70 50 20 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 86 57 84 55 / 80 60 20 10 CLINES CORNERS.................. 81 57 79 57 / 80 80 40 10 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 85 59 85 58 / 80 50 20 5 CARRIZOZO....................... 87 61 88 60 / 70 40 10 5 RUIDOSO......................... 79 57 80 56 / 70 60 5 5 CAPULIN......................... 78 57 78 57 / 60 60 50 20 RATON........................... 80 58 80 56 / 80 60 40 20 SPRINGER........................ 82 60 82 58 / 80 70 30 20 LAS VEGAS....................... 79 56 78 55 / 90 80 40 20 CLAYTON......................... 85 63 81 63 / 60 50 40 10 ROY............................. 83 60 81 60 / 70 70 40 10 CONCHAS......................... 91 66 88 66 / 60 80 30 10 SANTA ROSA...................... 90 64 88 63 / 80 80 20 10 TUCUMCARI....................... 91 66 89 66 / 60 80 30 10 CLOVIS.......................... 91 66 89 65 / 60 70 10 5 PORTALES........................ 92 67 91 66 / 60 50 10 5 FORT SUMNER..................... 93 66 91 65 / 60 70 10 5 ROSWELL......................... 98 68 96 67 / 20 20 5 5 PICACHO......................... 91 62 89 61 / 30 30 5 5 ELK............................. 84 59 84 59 / 40 30 5 5 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM NOON MDT TODAY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ511>515-517-518-521>523-527>537. && 50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM 555 AM MDT SUN AUG 9 2015 NMZ501>540-101200- 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 CRISTOS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTOS ABOVE 9500 FEET- EAST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS-UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY- LOWER CHAMA RIVER VALLEY-SANTA FE METRO AREA- MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY/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- 555 AM MDT SUN AUG 9 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE AND FAVOR THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST TIER OF THE FORECAST AREA. SOME MINOR FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS A GOOD PORTION OF NORTHERN/CENTRAL NEW MEXICO MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT BUT THE FAVORED AREAS WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE NORTHEAST THIRD TO HALF. THIS IS WHERE LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLASH FLOODING MAY OCCUR AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT. A RESIDUAL HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL EXIST ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD TUESDAY/TUESDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 50
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:33 UTC.
1 flood, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The river gage along Galisteo Creek below Galisteo rose to above minor flood stage at 1 am on the 11th due to rains late on the 10th. It peaked above moderate flood stage around by 330am before dropping below moderate flood stage around 515am, and completely below minor flood stage at 730am.
Quarter size hail reported near Logan.
New Mexico Department of Transportation closed U.S. highway 54 at mile markers 124 and 170 due to heavy rain and difficult driving conditions. This closure lasted 45 minutes and prevented traffic to drive between Corona and Carrizozo.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2015
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: 586962, 586871, 586873.