Another month of below normal precipitation during the monsoon season kept much of far southern New Mexico in Severe(D2) to Extreme(D3) drought in September.
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 during the monsoon season kept much of far southern New Mexico in Severe(D2) to Extreme(D3) drought in September.
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 31, 10:18 PM MST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM 1118 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 108 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024 Moisture and storm chances persist across southern and eastern areas through early next week. Dry air will keep other areas quiet during that period. The drying trend spreads across the region for the middle of the week. Temperatures cool off early in the week, rebounding to near or above normal later in the period. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 108 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024 Today has been a battle between upper ridging to the north and a low-level moisture boundary draped across the CWA. The best moisture has been south of this boundary where CU build-up has been ongoing and isolated showers and storms have developed. 1000+ J/kg CAPE is being analyzed by SPC Mesoanalysis south of the I-10 corridor with dew points in the low 60s and PWs of around 1.3" across far west TX. The strongest storms are expected in Hudspeth county for the rest of the afternoon with less coverage and intensity as you go north and west. The activity should decay in the early evening. The unsettled pattern is expected to continue for a portion of our area for the next couple days. Easterly winds keep surface moisture in place and dew points in the 50s as an inverted trough develops over the region. For Sunday, the better moisture spreads westward along the Int'l border with drier air holding on along the northern tier. Isolated showers and storms develop tomorrow afternoon mainly over the southern half of the CWA. For Monday, a surface trough looks to move into west TX, bringing additional moisture to eastern areas, including the Sacs. Upslope flow and deeper moisture may result in locally heavy rainfall and flash flooding out east, especially over the Salt fire burn scar. Some stronger storms are possible as well due to modest directional shear and decent instability. Heading into midweek, the upper ridge is nudged to the southwest by a shortwave coming across the northern Rockies. The more- present high pressure will begin to clear out moisture to the east and weaken the inverted trough on Tuesday. Hudspeth county hangs on to slight storm chances for Tuesday afternoon. The rest of the forecast will see the high pressure dominate the region and keep us mainly dry. The GFS is hinting at a backdoor front moving in next Friday, giving mountain areas a chance of storms into next weekend. Temperatures cool to about 10 degrees below normal for Monday, then warming to near or just above average around midweek under the building high. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1118 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024 Generally VFR conditions through the period. SCT100 SCT-BKN250 Developing after 18Z, mainly over the mountains and near the International Border...isolated BKN080CB 5SM -TSRA. Pea-size hail and wind gusts to 35 knots with a few of these storms. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 108 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024 Fire weather concerns remain low through the forecast period. Moisture and storm chances persist mainly over southern and eastern areas through Monday. Elsewhere, high pressure and drier air will keep rain chances at a minimum. Lingering moisture gets flushed out by midweek as the ridge builds in. Modestly breezy east winds are expected through early next week. Temperatures will be below normal early in the week, then warming to near normal around midweek. Min RHs will be 20-35% on Sunday, then 40-65% in FWZs 113 and 56 on Monday. Vent rates range from good to very good on Sunday, then poor to good. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... El Paso 70 86 68 82 / 20 30 20 40 Sierra Blanca 62 78 60 73 / 20 50 40 70 Las Cruces 65 86 63 82 / 20 30 20 20 Alamogordo 61 86 60 82 / 10 20 20 30 Cloudcroft 45 62 45 57 / 10 20 30 50 Truth or Consequences 63 85 62 81 / 10 10 10 10 Silver City 58 81 56 80 / 20 40 20 20 Deming 64 85 62 83 / 20 30 20 10 Lordsburg 64 86 63 85 / 30 30 20 10 West El Paso Metro 69 85 66 82 / 20 30 20 40 Dell City 63 84 63 78 / 10 30 40 50 Fort Hancock 66 85 65 81 / 20 50 40 70 Loma Linda 62 78 60 73 / 10 30 20 50 Fabens 67 84 66 81 / 20 40 20 50 Santa Teresa 66 83 64 81 / 20 40 20 40 White Sands HQ 67 85 65 82 / 10 20 20 30 Jornada Range 64 84 62 83 / 10 20 10 30 Hatch 64 87 62 86 / 20 20 20 20 Columbus 66 84 64 83 / 20 40 20 20 Orogrande 62 83 62 80 / 10 20 20 30 Mayhill 49 73 50 66 / 10 20 40 50 Mescalero 49 73 49 69 / 10 20 30 50 Timberon 48 71 47 66 / 10 30 30 50 Winston 52 78 50 76 / 10 20 10 10 Hillsboro 59 84 58 82 / 20 30 20 20 Spaceport 61 86 59 83 / 10 20 10 20 Lake Roberts 52 80 49 79 / 20 40 20 20 Hurley 58 82 57 80 / 20 30 20 10 Cliff 57 90 55 90 / 20 40 10 10 Mule Creek 59 83 56 83 / 20 40 10 10 Faywood 60 81 58 80 / 20 30 20 20 Animas 62 86 61 85 / 30 40 20 10 Hachita 62 83 60 83 / 30 30 20 20 Antelope Wells 62 83 60 83 / 30 40 20 20 Cloverdale 60 81 58 79 / 30 40 20 20 && .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 during the month of September. The Cooperative Observer at Redrock reported 0.43 inches of precipitation which was 1.25 inches below normal.
No change in drought conditions for September with the eastern half of the zone remaining in Extreme(D3) drought and the west in Severe(D2) drought. The Cooperative Observer in Antelope Wells reported 0.55 inches of precipitation which was 1.10 inches below normal.
The zone remained in Severe(D2) drought throughout the month of September.
Extreme(D3) drought continued over the southwest and improved to Abnormally Dry(D0) over the north. The Deming Airport reported only 0.01 inches of precipitation which was 1.14 inches below normal.
Most of the zone remained in Severe(D2) drought with just a little Moderate(D1) to Abnormally Dry(D0) drought across the far north.
Severe(D3) drought continued across the entire zone. The New Mexico State University Cooperative Observer reported just 0.06 inches of precipitation which was 1.35 inches below normal.
Severe(D2) drought continued over the south with improvement to Abnormally Dry(D0) drought over the northern half of the zone. The Mountain Park Cooperative Observer reported 0.45 inches of precipitation which was 2.03 inches below normal.
The month started out with Severe(D2) drought east and Moderate(D1) drought west. By the end of September, the far south was in Severe(D2) drought with Abnormally Dry(D0) drought over the north. The Cloudcroft Cooperative Observer reported 0.63 inches of precipitation which was 2.60 inches below normal.
The month started with Extreme(D3) drought over the south and Severe(D2) drought over the north. By the end of the month, the south was in Severe(D2) drought and the north in Moderate(D1) drought. The Cooperative Observer in Elk received 1.72 inches of precipitation which was 0.60 inches below normal.
The month started with the entire zone in Extreme(D3) drought. By the end of the month, the southeast was still in Extreme(D3) drought but the north and west improved to Severe(D2) drought.
The southern half of the zone remained in Severe(D2) drought with improvement to Abnormally Dry(D0) drought over the north. The White Sands National Monument Cooperative Observer reported no precipitation which was 1.46 inches below normal.
The zone started out the month with Extreme(D3) drought over the south and Severe(D2) drought over the north. By the end of the month, the entire zone was in Severe(D2) drought.
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, September 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: 1216063, 1216065, 1216066, 1216068, 1216069, 1216070, 1216072, 1216073, 1216074, 1216076, 1216077, 1216078.