A very dry Monsoon Season across the southwest lead to drought conditions worsening across the region. The month of August started with most areas in Abnormally Dry(D0) drought or Moderate(D1) drought, but by the end of the month, most areas were at least in Severe(D2) drought.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 EPZ wrote it up.
A very dry Monsoon Season across the southwest lead to drought conditions worsening across the region. The month of August started with most areas in Abnormally Dry(D0) drought or Moderate(D1) drought, but by the end of the month, most areas were at least in Severe(D2) drought.
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 Aug 22, 10:37 AM MST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM 1137 AM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 253 AM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 The Borderland will see a sharp transition from heat concerns to cooler, cloudier, and wetter conditions as we see a lot of Gulf moisture move into the region as Tropical Storm Harold approaches and passes today through Thursday. It's likely we won't even get into the 90s on Wednesday. Harold will weaken well before it arrives to the Borderland, but it will deliver deep tropical moisture, with widespread rain showers and isolated thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday. Flooding threats remain relatively low for most areas, but rainfall amounts are expected to be in the 0.5" to 1.0" range over the two days. We will finish the week with some slight drying and warming, but continue with daily storm chances. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 253 AM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 The big news with this package is the newly formed Tropical Storm Harold, just off the lower Texas Coast. This feature should be the major player in our weather on Wednesday and Thursday. However, first for today, we expect a day somewhat similar to Monday, with more gains in moisture resulting in another sub-100 degree day across the lowlands due to afternoon clouds and isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms. We will continue with the persistent SE winds, which will bring in the moisture ahead of the TS. Temperatures will stay a bit warmer than normal today, before diving well below normal for Wednesday. TS Harold is very near the TX coast, so it has little time to strengthen; thus it should remain weak. The NHC does not believe TS Harold will develop into a hurricane before it makes landfall tonight as a tropical storms. They then bring the track to the Big Bend country of W Texas. Wednesday into Thursday, models show the remnants of Harold arching NW and passing over our area. Ahead of it's arrival into W TX, we will see increases in atmospheric moisture with PWATs in the 1.1" to 1.6" range according to models. Normal for us is around 1.1", with the max around 1.5". So we will be juiced. Surface dewpoints will rise into the 55-60+ range. Thus we will have the moisture needed for widespread clouds and rain. LL dynamics will be limited by the lack of heating due to clouds, and thus cool surface temperatures. Wednesday looks more moist than Thursday, but Thursday looks more unstable than Wednesday, do to that slight drop in moisture, and potential for more sun and warmer surface temperatures. The QPF sweetspot now, in the ensembles, is for the WED/THU 48 hr period (with Harvey) to produce 0.5 to 1.0" of precipitation across the area. Some spots will see more, and others less. The Midland NWS office has a Flood Watch for this afternoon through WED afternoon for areas to our east. We considered this and decided against it for our area, because models sharply drop the QPF, and the probabilities for high rain amounts (>1.0") as the swath of precipitation moves out of the Big Bend area into Far West TX/S NM. With this being mostly a stratiform/long duration event, the chance for more widespread flooding is reduced (certainly not zero though). There will be some weak instability (especially THU), so we do anticipate some embedded isolated thunderstorms, and that will be the main focus for flood risk due to higher rain rates in shorter durations. The remnant wave exits our area later in the day on Thursday and through the weekend, high pressure aloft begins to migrate back west over NM. We will see some minor loss of moisture, and a resultant warming of our temperatures with more sunshine. However, we will still struggle to get to 100 degrees with daily lowland highs hovering in the mid/upper 90s through next week. Moisture trapped within the high pressure dome will be lower, but certainly adequate for daily rounds of scattered mountain, and isolated/scattered lowland rain each day. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1123 AM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 Mildly breezy southeast winds through the rest of the afternoon, with a few very iso TSRA possible across the Borderland as well. Do not have confidence for impacts at terminals so will watch and amend if necessary. Thick clouds and rain showers approach tonight, generally after 06Z for terminals. CIGs will become BKN250, then OVC100, then OVC050 into Wednesday morning. Will likely be flirting with MVFR CIGs and potentially VIS at some terminals after 15Z Wed. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 253 AM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 The days of extreme heat are behind us for a while as we transition to a more tropical pattern. Just off the south TX coast is the newly formed Tropical Storm Harold. This system will quickly make landfall tonight and track west to the Big Bend country of W TX. Ahead of this system we have had a persistent SW flow pattern that has started importing a new round of moisture to the region. That increased rain/storms across the area on Monday, along with cooler temperatures, and that trend will continue today. Temperatures still warmer than normal today, but not extreme. More afternoon clouds, and a slight increase in storm coverage today. Wednesday and Thursday are the days we should see the main impacts of the approach and passage of former TS Harvey, as it passes as a weak wave over the region. Abundant atmospheric moisture will make for a juicy environment with high dewpoints and RH. Temperatures will drop significantly WED as we stay under copious clouds. Scattered to widespread rain showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected to drop wetting rains over most of the region. Rain amounts should be in the 0.5" to 1.0" range. Flooding potential does exist, but it remains generally low due to the lack of strong instability and the longer duration and lower intensity of mostly stratiform rain. However where storms form, the risk of flooding will be increased. The system exits the region later in the day on Thursday. For Friday through the next week, we will keep enough residual moisture in the area to allow for daily rounds of monsoon season type rain and storms each afternoon and evening. Temperatures will warm back to above normal, but remain below excessive levels. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... El Paso 97 73 83 71 / 10 50 60 60 Sierra Blanca 87 64 74 62 / 40 60 80 60 Las Cruces 95 69 82 66 / 10 40 60 70 Alamogordo 95 68 85 65 / 20 40 50 60 Cloudcroft 71 51 61 49 / 30 40 50 50 Truth or Consequences 93 68 81 65 / 20 40 60 60 Silver City 87 63 77 61 / 30 30 70 70 Deming 95 68 81 64 / 10 30 60 70 Lordsburg 93 68 81 63 / 10 30 60 60 West El Paso Metro 95 71 82 70 / 10 50 70 60 Dell City 94 71 83 67 / 20 50 60 50 Fort Hancock 95 68 81 66 / 30 60 80 50 Loma Linda 88 66 75 63 / 20 50 70 60 Fabens 94 70 80 68 / 20 50 70 50 Santa Teresa 93 69 79 66 / 10 50 70 60 White Sands HQ 95 72 83 68 / 20 50 70 70 Jornada Range 94 69 82 65 / 20 50 60 60 Hatch 96 68 83 65 / 20 50 70 70 Columbus 94 68 80 64 / 10 40 60 60 Orogrande 93 69 82 65 / 20 50 60 60 Mayhill 81 56 72 54 / 40 40 50 50 Mescalero 82 55 73 52 / 30 40 50 50 Timberon 80 54 69 51 / 40 40 60 60 Winston 82 59 74 56 / 20 30 60 70 Hillsboro 92 63 81 60 / 20 40 70 70 Spaceport 94 68 82 63 / 20 40 60 60 Lake Roberts 86 57 76 53 / 30 30 70 70 Hurley 91 66 79 62 / 20 30 60 60 Cliff 95 61 84 57 / 20 20 60 60 Mule Creek 89 63 79 60 / 30 20 60 60 Faywood 90 66 79 63 / 20 40 70 70 Animas 94 68 79 61 / 20 20 60 50 Hachita 93 66 79 61 / 10 30 60 60 Antelope Wells 93 65 78 61 / 10 20 60 50 Cloverdale 88 64 74 58 / 10 20 50 50 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. NM...None. && FORECASTER...35-Delizio
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service El Paso TX/Santa Teresa NM 1109 AM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 NMZ401>417-TXZ418>424-231715- 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- 1109 AM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of south central New Mexico, southwest New Mexico, and southwest Texas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Isolated showers and storms this afternoon with gusty winds to 40 mph. Southeast winds at 10 to 20 mph. Remnants of Tropical Storm Harold move in overnight with scattered rain showers arriving from the east. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday Scattered to widespread rain showers on Wednesday with isolated thunderstorms. Localized flooding is possible from thunderstorms into Thursday as moisture fetch lingers behind Harold's remnants. Rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches possible by Thursday night. Scattered mountains and isolated lowland storms then expected through the weekend. Temperatures rebound by late week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. Aronson
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The entire zone went from Abnormally Dry(D0) drought to Severe(D2) drought on August 22. The Cooperative Observer in Cliff reported 1.43 inches of precipitation which was 1.02 inches below normal.
The entire zone started out in Abnormally Dry(D0) drought but on August 22, the western half of the zone was placed in Severe(D2) drought and the east in Moderate(D1) drought. The White Signal Cooperative Observer only recorded 0.25 inches of precipitation which was 2.49 inches below normal.
The zone started the month in Moderate(D1) drought, but on August 22, the entire zone was placed in Severe(D2) drought.
The entire zone went from Abnormally Dry(D) drought to Severe(D2) drought on August 22nd. The Redrock Cooperative Observer reported 1.93 inches of precipitation which was 0.15 inches below normal after a very dry July.
The entire zone went from Abnormally Dry(D0) drought to Severe(D2) drought on August 22nd. The Cooperative Observer at Antelope Wells recorded 0.45 inches of precipitation which was 1.84 inches below normal.
The entire zone went from Abnormally Dry(D0) drought to Severe(D2) drought on August 22.
The zone started the month in Moderate(D1) drought and on August 22, was placed in Severe(D2) drought. The Hillsboro Cooperative Observer reported 1.70 inches of precipitation which was 0.71 inches below normal.
The month started with Abnormally Dry(D0) drought north and Moderate(D1) drought south. On August 22, the zone was placed in a mix of Severe(D2) and Moderate(D1) drought. The Truth or Consequences ASOS reported 0.73 inches of precipitation which was 1.03 inches below normal.
The entire zone started the month in Moderate(D1) drought and was placed in Severe(D2) drought on August 22. The Cooperative Observer at the White Sands National Park reported 1.32 inches of precipitation which was 0.56 inches below normal.
The zone started in Moderate(D1) drought and on August 22nd was placed in Severe(D2) drought.
The entire zone went from Moderate(D1) drought to Severe(D2) drought on August 22nd. The Mountain Park Cooperative Observer recorded 4.80 inches of precipitation which was 1.36 inches above normal after 2.73 inches of rain fall August 23-25. July was very dry and 2 to 3 inches below normal.
The entire zone went from Moderate(D1) drought to Severe(D2) drought on August 22. The Cloudcroft Cooperative Observer reported 5.52 inches of precipitation which was 0.51 inches above normal after 2.31 inches fell on August 23-24. July was very dry as well after being 2 to 3 inches below normal.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2023
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: 1134953, 1134954, 1134955, 1134957, 1134958, 1134959, 1134961, 1134963, 1134969, 1134970, 1134971, 1134972.