Another month of below normal precipitation for much of southern New Mexico kept drought conditions persistent through August.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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.
Another month of below normal precipitation for much of southern New Mexico kept drought conditions persistent through August.
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 Jul 31, 10:35 PM MST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM 1135 PM MDT Wed Jul 31 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 205 PM MDT Wed Jul 31 2024 We will see isolated to scattered thunderstorms each afternoon and evening through the start of next week. Our high temperature will continue to run 5 to 8 degrees above average, which means many lowlands locations will continue to see high temperature at or a little above 100 degrees through the weekend and into the start of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 205 PM MDT Wed Jul 31 2024 A vort max moving around the southwest side of the upper level ridge centered over east Texas brought a round of showers to parts of the area, mainly along the International Boundary this morning. Another, weaker, short wave looks like it will move across the region this evening, which may give us a little better chance for rain across the lowlands. For Thursday, the upper level ridge will begin its migration back to the west, but we will still have enough moisture to continue our isolated to scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms. By Friday, the upper level ridge will be centered over the Four Corners region and begin to pull drier air into the region from the east. This drier air will limit thunderstorm chances both Friday and Saturday to area mountains. For Sunday through Tuesday, the upper level ridge will slowly move back to the east. As the ridge drifts east that will allow some moisture and a little better rain chances to move back into the area for the middle part of next week. High temperature for Thursday through the middle of next week, will continue to run 5 to 8 degrees above average. The NBM (National Blended Model) shows the 50% for El Paso to be at or a little above 100 degrees. The 75% for the next 3 days is at 103 to 106 for El Paso. The one gotcha is the surface winds. On Friday our surface winds will swing around to the southeast and with a southeast wind it is a little harder for El Paso to hit 100 degrees. I've gone pretty close to the 50% of the NBM which will put El Paso and most of the lowlands at or a little above 100 degrees, but we should stay below heat advisory levels (105 degrees). && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1133 PM MDT Wed Jul 31 2024 VFR conditions to prevail throughout the TAF period. Isold shwrs currently drifting wly will diminish through the early hours of the forecast period. Winds will become light and vrb, with high cigs lingering over the ern half of the area. Lighter winds expected in the aftn with a relative downtick in shwrs/tstms. What activity does initiate will favor wrn NM high terrain and areas along and east of the central mts. Shwrs may drift into the centrl valleys closer to the end of the TAF period, with the potential for wind shifts due to outflow winds. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 205 PM MDT Wed Jul 31 2024 We will continue to see low fire weather concerns over the next 5 to 7 days. We will have daily afternoon and evening thunderstorms, with the best chances for rain in area mountains. We will be warm, with high temperatures running a little above average. Surface winds will stay well below critical levels, except for strong gusty outflow winds near thunderstorms. Our surface winds will be from the west on Thursday but then for Friday through next week, the winds will come around to the southeast. Ventilation rates will continue to be good to very good each afternoon over the next few days. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... El Paso 78 102 79 104 / 40 10 40 10 Sierra Blanca 68 94 69 96 / 60 30 40 10 Las Cruces 73 102 74 101 / 40 10 40 10 Alamogordo 71 100 70 98 / 20 20 40 20 Cloudcroft 55 77 53 75 / 20 50 40 40 Truth or Consequences 72 99 72 96 / 20 20 40 20 Silver City 65 91 64 92 / 30 60 50 60 Deming 71 99 72 100 / 30 20 40 20 Lordsburg 70 97 70 99 / 30 50 50 50 West El Paso Metro 76 100 77 100 / 40 10 40 10 Dell City 71 101 72 102 / 30 10 20 10 Fort Hancock 73 101 74 103 / 70 30 40 10 Loma Linda 69 94 71 93 / 40 20 40 10 Fabens 73 100 75 101 / 50 20 40 10 Santa Teresa 73 98 73 99 / 50 20 40 20 White Sands HQ 75 100 74 98 / 40 20 40 20 Jornada Range 71 100 72 99 / 30 20 40 20 Hatch 71 102 72 101 / 30 20 40 20 Columbus 73 98 73 99 / 40 20 40 10 Orogrande 71 98 71 97 / 30 20 40 10 Mayhill 60 88 58 86 / 20 40 30 30 Mescalero 59 88 57 86 / 20 50 40 40 Timberon 57 87 56 85 / 30 30 30 20 Winston 61 91 60 90 / 20 40 40 50 Hillsboro 68 96 67 96 / 30 30 40 40 Spaceport 68 99 69 99 / 20 20 40 30 Lake Roberts 60 90 60 91 / 30 60 50 60 Hurley 66 94 65 95 / 20 40 50 40 Cliff 66 101 67 101 / 30 60 50 60 Mule Creek 67 93 67 94 / 40 60 40 60 Faywood 67 94 67 94 / 20 40 40 40 Animas 69 97 69 99 / 40 50 50 40 Hachita 68 96 69 98 / 30 30 50 20 Antelope Wells 67 94 68 96 / 50 50 50 40 Cloverdale 64 89 65 91 / 50 60 50 50 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. NM...None. && FORECASTER...17-Hefner
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The entire zone remained in Severe(D2) drought through the month of August. The Redrock Cooperative Observer reported 1.38 inches of precipitation which was 0.70 inches below normal.
The eastern portion of the area remained in Extreme(D3) drought while the west remained in Severe(D2) drought. The Cooperative Observer at Antelope Wells reported 1.48 inches of precipitation which was 0.81 inches below normal.
The entire zone remained in Severe(D2) drought throughout the month.
The zone had a range of Extreme(D3) drought over the southwest which improved to Abnormally Dry(D0) drought over the far north. The Deming airport reported 0.71 inches of precipitation which was 1.30 inches below normal.
About 75 percent of the zone was in Severe(D2) drought with some Moderate(D1) to Abnormally Dry(D0) drought across the far north.
The entire zone remained in Extreme(D3) drought through the month of August. The Cooperative Observer at NMSU reported just 0.19 inches of precipitation which was 1.54 inches below normal.
The southern half of the zone remained in Severe(D2) drought with improvement to the north where it finished the month in Abnormally Dry(D0) drought. The Mountain Park Cooperative Observer reported 1.46 inches of precipitation which was 2.08 inches below normal.
The zone started completely in Severe(D2) drought, but by the end of the month, the western half improved to Moderate(D1) drought while the east remained in Severe(D2) drought. The Cloudcroft Cooperative Observer reported 3.05 inches of precipitation which was 2.96 inches below normal.
The southern half of the zone remained in Extreme(D3) drought while the north remained in Severe(D2) drought. The Cooperative Observer at Elk reported 1.48 inches of precipitation which was 1.26 inches below normal.
The entire zone remained in Extreme(D3) drought throughout the month of August.
The zone started with Extreme(D3) drought south to Abnormally Dry(D0) drought north. By the end of the month, the south improved to Severe(D2) drought with Abnormally Dry(D0) drought remaining in the north. The White Sands National Park Cooperative Observer reported 1.07 inches of precipitation which was 0.81 inches below normal.
The southern half of the zone remained in Extreme(D3) drought while the north remained in Severe(D2) drought throughout the month of August.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 2024
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: 1210760, 1210761, 1210762, 1210766, 1210769, 1210771, 1210773, 1210775, 1210778, 1210780, 1210781, 1210782.