An active moonsoon pattern continued across New Mexico on July 25, 2022, as a steady stream of moisture stayed in place over western and central New Mexico. Additionally, an easterly wave over northern Mexico that was trapped underneath the high pressure centered over the lower Mississippi Valley.
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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.
An active moonsoon pattern continued across New Mexico on July 25, 2022, as a steady stream of moisture stayed in place over western and central New Mexico. Additionally, an easterly wave over northern Mexico that was trapped underneath the high pressure centered over the lower Mississippi Valley. An abundant amount of moisture in addition to this easterly wave resulted in robust thunderstorms across southern New Mexico that produced heavy rainfall. Socorro and Lincoln counties, including the McBride burn scar, were hit hardest with flash flooding.
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 25, 10:20 AM MST, 2 hours earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1120 AM MDT Mon Jul 25 2022 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE Cumulus is beginning to develop across the central and western high terrain at this hour, indicating the early stages of thunderstorm development. Greatest coverage of thunderstorms will favor areas along and west of the central mountain chain with steering flow tracking them in a slow, northerly direction. Localized MVFR conditions due to heavy rain will be possible with the strongest thunderstorms as will gusty winds and frequent lightning. Storms will linger late into this evening, especially across western NM and will likely not taper off until closer to 06Z. 15 && .PREV DISCUSSION...221 AM MDT Mon Jul 25 2022... .SYNOPSIS... For the next few days, high pressure will remain in a weakened state in the upper levels of the atmosphere over New Mexico. Monsoon moisture will stay in place over the state, and repeated rounds of afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms are expected each day. Shower and thunderstorms will be concentrated over the higher terrain of western and central New Mexico today with few, if any, storms in the east central to southeastern plains. A moist front could increase showers and thunderstorm activity over northeastern New Mexico on Tuesday and periodically through the rest of the week, and a few stray storms may begin expand into the east central plains. Most showers and thunderstorms will drift very slowly while producing heavy rainfall rates, and this will lead to locally heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding, especially over recent wildfire burn scars. Temperatures in northern and western parts of New Mexico will stay slightly below normal this week with readings running near to slightly above average in the east central to southeastern plains early in the week before cooling some. && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY)... The large scale pattern continues to show a large high pressure system dominating the southern plains with NM under the western periphery, while smaller meso-scale features are playing a significant role in the day-to-day thunderstorm activity. One of which will be a tongue of dry mid-level air acting to suppress convection over the east-central and southeastern plains this afternoon. The main tap of monsoon moisture remains over western NM, and this will be the main area for Monday's crop of afternoon storms. With skies clearing this morning, diurnal heating should destabilize conditions fairly early allowing for CI to begin near the 11am to noon hour over the central and western mountain chains. Steering flow will be weak, but storm motions will generally be south-to-north today, albeit slowly. While mountain areas will get the first shot at thunderstorms today, surrounding valley locations will get in on the action later in the afternoon with colliding outflow boundaries taking storms into the evening hours. Numerical models are also showing a deformation area setting up over western NM late today, which is expected to keep thunderstorm activity going well into the evening and overnight period through this part of the state. With a robust and long duration round of storms today, coupled with a juicy atmosphere and slower storm motions, localized flash flooding will remain a concern today, especially over recent burn scars. Therefore, another Flood Watch will be laid down to cover the Black, Bear Trap, Cerro Pelado, Cook's Peak, Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon, and McBride burn scars with this forecast package. Showers will persist the longest through western NM Monday night thanks to the aforementioned deformation area. Tuesday will see another robust crop of afternoon storms favoring central and western NM. Weak south-to-north steering flow will keep the threat of localized heavy rainfall causing flash flooding going. Lesser and more isolated coverage of storms will exist over the eastern plains again. LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)... The pattern will be a slow-evolving one through the remainder of the work week with the weakness in high pressure aloft remaining over NM. An elongated extension from the Bermuda high will stretch across the lower MS valley and occasionally as far west as TX. Over the Great Basin a separate centroid of the high will be present. This will ultimately keep near to above average moisture in place over NM with storms in the southern tier of the state moving westbound while northern cells propagate more northeastward or east northeastward as the flow struggles to retain some semblance of anticyclonic curvature over the state. Storms will favor the western and northern high terrain through the end of the work week with scattered to occasionally numerous cells still possible over the central and south central high country. Periodic moist surface boundaries will enter NM from the north, a recurring and almost seemingly semi-permanent feature that will offer enhancements to convective initiation, especially in north central to northeastern zones. Temperatures will not undergo any large day-to-day swings in western and central zones through the end of the work week, but eastern plains zones could see a few degrees of cooling, especially by Friday. By Saturday the westernmost extension of the Bermuda high will break away and attempt to slide over NM while the Great Basin centroid potentially creeps closer for a possible merger into Sunday and Monday of next week. Rising pressure heights (by just a couple decameters) might suppress storms slightly, but moisture would look to remain readily available this weekend. 24/52 && .FIRE WEATHER... No fire weather concerns through the forecast period. Abundant monsoon moisture will keep daily rounds of afternoon storms favoring central and western NM going each day. Meanwhile, the eastern plains will remain mostly dry and hot. The main threat will be typical hazards associated with any passing thunderstorm, and in particular the threat of flash flooding from localized heavy rainfall over recent burn scars. Otherwise, highs will be within five degrees of normal, slightly below over western NM and slightly above through the eastern plains. Recoveries will be good through eastern NM, and excellent through western NM. 24 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch through this evening for the following zones... NMZ208-211-214-215-226. &&
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 165 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:19 UTC.
5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain in the Church Rock and Fort Wingate areas caused flash flooding along Interstate 40 and New Mexico State Highway 118 as reported by the New Mexico Department of Transportation. There are no known damages.
The Lincoln County emergency manager reported flash flooding and debris flow from the McBride burn scar at Gavilan Canyon and Warrior Drive. This forced the closure of the roadway. Local law enforcement remarked that this flooding was worse than the event on July 20th. Damages are estimated.
Forest thinning in the Magdalena Mountains resulted in a flash flooding event that made it easier for water to rush down an unnamed canyon. Floodwaters left behind a pile of debris 6 feet high and 20 feet wide that included steel fence posts and barbed wire, damaged trailed, and boulders that were 200 to 300 pounds. Damages are estimated.
A COOP observer near Encino measured 1.75 inches of rain from a heavy thunderstorm. This resulted in flash flooding near their property. Time is estimated based on radar. No damage was reported.
Heavy rain near Alamo caused flash flooding along New Mexico State Road 169 and mile marker 29. Damages are estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, July 2022
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: 1034409, 1032170, 1032180, 1033107, 1032171.