After several days of much drier conditions, a more traditional monsoon pattern returned as an area of high pressure developed near the Oklahoma and Texas border and a potent upper-level low pressure system developed off the coast of northern California. This resulted in southerly flow over New Mexico that allowed for moisture to stream back into the area.
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.
After several days of much drier conditions, a more traditional monsoon pattern returned as an area of high pressure developed near the Oklahoma and Texas border and a potent upper-level low pressure system developed off the coast of northern California. This resulted in southerly flow over New Mexico that allowed for moisture to stream back into the area. Scattered showers and thunderstorms made their return to western and central potions of the state. However, with so much dry air being in place previously, the atmosphere took time to moisten back up. Therefore, wetting rain wasn't common across much of the area. The exception was near Ruidoso on the McBride burn scar where an isolated thunderstorm resulted in 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 Sep 18, 4:20 PM MST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 520 PM MDT Sun Sep 18 2022 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 149 PM MDT Sun Sep 18 2022 Moisture will continue to increase across northern and western New Mexico through mid week, allowing daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms to develop. Storms may persist through the overnight hours Tuesday and Wednesday. Locally heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding and rising water in normally dry arroyos. Storm coverage will decrease toward the end of the week. Meanwhile, eastern and much of central New Mexico will remain dry with temperatures a few degrees above normal. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Monday night) Issued at 149 PM MDT Sun Sep 18 2022 The high over TX has strengthened some today and will continue to do so Monday as it moves north to the TX/OK border. Meanwhile, the big storm out west will remain centered off the CA coast Monday. This setup will allow for more moisture to track north into NM. This afternoon and evening, showers and thunderstorms will be a mix of wet and dry in the west. Strong downburst winds with virga will be the main concern. Coverage will increase Monday into Monday night over western and central areas with mostly or all wet storms. Tonight and Monday night will be mild, and highs Monday will be lower this afternoon by a few degrees, mostly near to above normal. && .LONG TERM... (Tuesday through Saturday) Issued at 149 PM MDT Sun Sep 18 2022 Southerly flow will persist as NM remains between a large upper high centered over OK/TX and an large upper low off the coast of CA. Moisture will continue to stream northward across western NM on Tuesday with showers and thunderstorms favored near and west of the ContDvd. With PWATs climbing above an inch in that area (2-3 standard deviations above normal), heavy rainfall and localized flooding will be possible. A similar set up is in store for Wednesday as the upper high inches southwestward and the upper low begins to eject northeastward over NorCal. Storm motions will be toward the north/northeast around 10 to 15 mph Tuesday and slightly faster on Wednesday. By Thursday, the low will have shifted across the northern Rockies while the high shifts closer to SE NM. Northwest portions of the state will remain favored for precipitation, but storm motion will shift a bit. Storms will move more toward the east-northeast. By Friday, the southerly tap of moisture will have waned and moisture values will be coming down. Therefore, shower and thunderstorm coverage will decrease compared to previous days. This downward trend will continue into Saturday as well. While portions of northern and western New Mexico receive daily round of thunderstorm activity, thereby keeping their temperatures at or below normal, eastern and much of central NM will remain dry and warm. There will be a backdoor cold front that slides through the eastern plains late Wednesday into Thursday morning, but with southerly flow returning by Thursday afternoon, this shouldn't decrease temperatures too much. That said, the ECMWF is a bit more aggressive with the front as it pushes the front all the way through the plains, whereas the GFS and CMC stall the front across northeast NM. && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 502 PM MDT Sun Sep 18 2022 Main topic is potential for gusty erratic winds emanating from sct shra and/or virga across the western high terrain and along the continental divide this evening. This activity will work its way eastward into the Rio Grande Valley, bringing potential for gusty winds to KABQ-KAEG and potentially as far north as KSAF. This activity tapers off slowly overnight well into Monday morning. More moisture working its way northward into NM will bring a sct mix of shra and ts to western and central NM Monday afternoon. VFR, and prevailing sely to swly winds stay true across the eastern plains Tuesday. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 149 PM MDT Sun Sep 18 2022 High pressure to our west and a big storm off the CA coast will allow moisture to stream into New Mexico from the south this week. The monsoon just will not give up with daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms with wetting precipitation. Today is still dry enough though to limit most storms from getting any wetting rain. In fact, much of the convection will be dry with strong winds from virga and dry lightning the main impacts across the west. Storms will be mostly wet Monday and cover the west and central areas. The storm will finally move inland Wednesday and lift well northeast of NM. It will allow a more westerly flow aloft, which can bring precipitation into northeast NM from Wednesday on. Thursday and Friday will remain active in the west and north, then a ridge of high pressure from the west may move in next weekend, to reduce the chances of convection. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 59 85 59 81 / 20 10 20 50 Dulce........................... 48 80 48 82 / 20 20 30 60 Cuba............................ 53 78 53 80 / 20 40 30 50 Gallup.......................... 51 81 55 80 / 20 50 30 60 El Morro........................ 51 75 54 77 / 30 60 30 60 Grants.......................... 49 78 51 79 / 30 60 30 60 Quemado......................... 52 77 54 79 / 30 60 50 60 Magdalena....................... 56 77 57 79 / 40 50 30 30 Datil........................... 51 72 53 76 / 40 60 40 50 Reserve......................... 52 82 53 83 / 30 70 50 50 Glenwood........................ 61 84 62 85 / 30 60 60 50 Chama........................... 46 74 47 75 / 20 30 20 60 Los Alamos...................... 57 76 55 77 / 20 50 30 30 Pecos........................... 54 78 55 80 / 20 50 30 30 Cerro/Questa.................... 39 78 40 79 / 10 30 20 40 Red River....................... 43 72 42 73 / 5 30 20 40 Angel Fire...................... 41 71 42 74 / 10 40 20 40 Taos............................ 50 79 50 81 / 10 30 20 30 Mora............................ 48 76 49 78 / 10 50 20 30 Espanola........................ 57 84 55 86 / 20 40 30 30 Santa Fe........................ 57 78 57 80 / 20 40 30 30 Santa Fe Airport................ 55 80 55 82 / 20 40 30 30 Albuquerque Foothills........... 63 83 63 84 / 20 40 30 30 Albuquerque Heights............. 62 84 63 85 / 20 40 30 20 Albuquerque Valley.............. 61 86 62 86 / 20 40 30 20 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 62 84 63 85 / 20 40 30 30 Belen........................... 60 86 60 88 / 30 40 30 20 Bernalillo...................... 61 86 61 87 / 20 40 30 20 Bosque Farms.................... 60 85 60 87 / 20 40 30 20 Corrales........................ 62 86 62 87 / 20 40 30 30 Los Lunas....................... 61 85 61 87 / 30 40 30 20 Placitas........................ 61 81 60 84 / 20 40 30 30 Rio Rancho...................... 62 85 62 86 / 20 40 30 30 Socorro......................... 61 87 62 89 / 30 30 30 20 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 58 74 58 77 / 20 50 30 30 Tijeras......................... 58 79 58 81 / 30 50 30 30 Edgewood........................ 53 80 53 81 / 20 40 30 30 Moriarty/Estancia............... 51 81 51 83 / 20 40 20 20 Clines Corners.................. 54 77 53 79 / 20 40 20 20 Mountainair..................... 54 79 55 80 / 20 40 20 20 Gran Quivira.................... 55 80 55 81 / 20 40 20 20 Carrizozo....................... 61 82 60 83 / 20 40 20 20 Ruidoso......................... 54 75 54 75 / 20 50 20 30 Capulin......................... 55 82 54 84 / 5 20 0 10 Raton........................... 52 85 50 86 / 5 20 5 20 Springer........................ 52 87 52 88 / 5 30 10 20 Las Vegas....................... 52 81 52 82 / 10 40 20 20 Clayton......................... 61 89 63 89 / 0 5 0 0 Roy............................. 58 84 57 86 / 5 20 5 10 Conchas......................... 62 90 63 91 / 5 10 5 5 Santa Rosa...................... 60 85 60 87 / 5 20 10 10 Tucumcari....................... 65 92 65 93 / 0 5 0 0 Clovis.......................... 61 88 61 89 / 0 5 0 0 Portales........................ 62 90 62 90 / 0 5 0 0 Fort Sumner..................... 64 88 63 88 / 5 5 0 0 Roswell......................... 66 91 65 92 / 5 10 5 5 Picacho......................... 59 84 59 86 / 10 30 10 10 Elk............................. 56 81 56 83 / 20 30 10 10 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...24 LONG TERM....34 AVIATION...40
The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:16 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Lincoln County emergency manager reported Gavilan Canyon Road near Janet Drive experienced flash flooding as heavy rain fell on the McBride burn scar. Damages are not known.
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, September 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: 1046760.