A surface high over the plains states brought moist southeast flow into the region with dew points into the lower to mid 60s. An upper ridge was located right over the Rockies with weak flow aloft keeping storm motion very slow.
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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 surface high over the plains states brought moist southeast flow into the region with dew points into the lower to mid 60s. An upper ridge was located right over the Rockies with weak flow aloft keeping storm motion very slow. Rainfall totals of an inch and a quarter to over 2 inches were reported on the east side of El Paso where flash flooding was reported.
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 Sep 1, 2:25 AM MST, 5 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM 325 AM MDT THU SEP 1 2016 .SYNOPSIS... East to southeast winds will push moist unstable air into southern New Mexico and west Texas today and Friday resulting in scattered showers and thunderstorms across the Borderland. Westerly flow aloft will bring warmer drier weather to the region this weekend and Monday. Showers and thunderstorms will then increase later next week as moisture flows back into the area. && .DISCUSSION... Low level east to southeast winds will sustain inflow of moist air mass into southern New Mexico today and Friday sustaining abundant moisture inflow. Thus dewpoints will remain mostly around 55 to 60 F and precipitable water generally from 1 to 1.4 inches. The moisture will also keep air mass unstable with mucapes around 600 to 1200 J/kg. Thus threat of convection will persist next 2 days. Limiting factor will be upper ridge which will extend through the region today through early Friday which will likely induce weak subsidence aloft. Overall expect convective coverage will be mostly scattered today and tomorrow. Later Friday ridge flattens and becomes displaced to our south. Consequently a drier more stable westerly flow develops in the mid levels with precipitable water decreasing to below an inch most locations. With air mass becoming marginally unstable at best expect diminished convective threat Saturday through Monday with less clouds/more sunshine pushing temperatures up above normal. Beginning Tuesday the regional weather pattern will include deep high pressure across the southern Mississippi valley and mean high amplitude troughing west of the divide. This scenario will induce low and mid level flow trajectories from Baja and/or Gulf of Mexico with associated moisture transport. Precipitable water will thus rise above an inch and air mass should become more unstable causing an increase in showers/thunderstorms later periods. && .AVIATION...valid 01/12z-02/12z. Scattered areas of MVFR and isolated areas of IFR ceilings and visibility in showers and thunderstorms mainly from 20z to 03z. Otherwise vfr conditions prevailing with SCT-BKN060-080. Surface wind mostly from 5 to 15 kt except for gusts to 40 kt near thunderstorms. && .FIRE WEATHER... East to southeast winds will push moist unstable air into southern New Mexico and west Texas today and Friday resulting in scattered showers and thunderstorms across the Borderland. Westerly flow aloft will bring warmer drier weather to the region this weekend and Monday. Showers and thunderstorms will then increase later next week as moisture flows back into the area. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... El Paso 85 69 89 69 / 50 30 30 30 Sierra Blanca 82 65 85 65 / 50 30 30 20 Las Cruces 82 65 87 64 / 50 30 30 30 Alamogordo 82 64 87 64 / 50 30 30 30 Cloudcroft 63 51 66 50 / 70 40 50 50 Truth or Consequences 80 64 84 64 / 50 40 30 30 Silver City 76 59 80 58 / 60 40 50 30 Deming 83 65 87 64 / 50 30 30 30 Lordsburg 85 65 89 64 / 50 40 30 20 West El Paso Metro 84 69 88 70 / 50 30 30 30 Dell City 83 64 86 64 / 50 30 30 20 Fort Hancock 86 69 89 68 / 50 30 30 30 Loma Linda 78 64 82 63 / 60 30 40 30 Fabens 85 68 89 67 / 50 30 30 30 Santa Teresa 84 67 88 68 / 50 30 30 30 White Sands HQ 81 66 86 66 / 60 40 30 40 Jornada Range 81 63 86 62 / 50 40 30 40 Hatch 81 65 86 65 / 50 40 30 30 Columbus 84 66 89 65 / 50 30 30 20 Orogrande 82 66 86 66 / 50 30 30 30 Mayhill 68 53 72 54 / 70 40 50 40 Mescalero 72 54 75 55 / 70 40 50 50 Timberon 69 52 72 53 / 70 40 50 40 Winston 74 55 78 54 / 60 40 50 40 Hillsboro 78 60 83 60 / 60 40 40 40 Spaceport 80 63 84 62 / 50 40 30 40 Lake Roberts 76 55 79 53 / 70 40 50 40 Hurley 77 59 82 59 / 50 30 40 30 Cliff 83 61 86 59 / 60 40 50 30 Mule Creek 80 57 83 55 / 60 40 40 20 Faywood 79 60 84 60 / 50 30 40 30 Animas 86 64 89 63 / 50 40 30 20 Hachita 84 63 89 63 / 40 40 30 20 Antelope Wells 83 63 87 63 / 50 40 40 20 Cloverdale 80 62 83 61 / 50 40 40 20 && .EPZ Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NM...None. TX...None. && 05 Rogash
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 1115 AM MDT WED AUG 31 2016 NMZ401>417-TXZ418>424-011715- UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY-SOUTHERN GILA HIGHLANDS/BLACK RANGE- SOUTHERN GILA FOOTHILLS/MIMBRES VALLEY- SOUTHWEST DESERT/LOWER GILA RIVER VALLEY-LOWLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL- UPLANDS OF THE BOOTHEEL-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN- EASTERN BLACK RANGE FOOTHILLS-SIERRA COUNTY LAKES- NORTHERN DONA ANA COUNTY-SOUTHERN DONA ANA COUNTY/MESILLA VALLEY- CENTRAL TULAROSA BASIN-SOUTHERN TULAROSA BASIN- WEST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET- SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 7500 FEET- EAST SLOPES SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS BELOW 7500 FEET-OTERO MESA- WESTERN EL PASO COUNTY-EASTERN/CENTRAL EL PASO COUNTY- NORTHERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS/HUECO MOUNTAINS-SALT BASIN- SOUTHERN HUDSPETH HIGHLANDS- RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF EASTERN EL PASO/WESTERN HUDSPETH COUNTIES- RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF EASTERN HUDSPETH COUNTY- 1115 AM MDT WED AUG 31 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ABUNDANT MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA WILL HELP FUEL SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A FEW STORMS MAY PRODUCE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL LEADING ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM LESS THAN 0.10 TO 1 INCH WITH ISOLATED 2+ INCHES POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ON THURSDAY. FOR FRIDAY AND INTO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND WE WILL SEE LESS CHANCES FOR RAIN AND WARMER TEMPERATURES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... IF YOU OBSERVE FLOODING PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE NWS OFFICE VIA OUR 800 SPOTTER PHONE NUMBER OR VIA TWITTER USING OUR USER NAME @NWSELPASO
The El Paso radar (KEPZ), 41 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:20 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Cars and homes were reported flooded along Dick Mayers Dr between Victor Lopez and Chelita drives in east El Paso.
Montwood Drive was closed in both directions near Lake Omega Drive due to flooded roads.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, September 2016
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: 659951, 659952.