Another burst of abundant monsoon moisture resulted in localized heavy rainfall July 2nd and overnight into July 3rd. Burn scar flash flooding off the Salt burn scar washed out culverts that then diverted water into the Cherokee Mobile home park near Ruidoso.
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.
Another burst of abundant monsoon moisture resulted in localized heavy rainfall July 2nd and overnight into July 3rd. Burn scar flash flooding off the Salt burn scar washed out culverts that then diverted water into the Cherokee Mobile home park near Ruidoso. A late night round of strong thunderstorms developing along middle Rio Grande Valley produced very heavy rainfall measuring 1 to near 2.50 inches in Rio Rancho. Roads were washed out with dirt and debris in Rio Rancho and near Las Nutrias in northern Socorro County. Fast moving waters in the Albuquerque arroyo system swept away at least two people who were rescued, while a potential third person was reported also swept away.
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 2, 11:35 AM MST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 1235 PM MDT Wed Jul 2 2025 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, AVIATION, FIRE WEATHER... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1136 AM MDT Wed Jul 2 2025 - Monsoon moisture remains over much of northern and central New Mexico through Thursday, allowing for greater coverage of showers and thunderstorms each afternoon and evening. These will be efficient rain producing storms which will increase the risk of heavy rainfall and flash flooding, mainly over area burn scars. - Drier air sweeps in by the Fourth of July holiday and Saturday, limiting the development of showers and thunderstorms before rain chances rise Sunday going into early next week. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Thursday night) Issued at 1136 AM MDT Wed Jul 2 2025 An inverted trough over the area is forecast to lift northeast out of NM overnight and be replaced with increasing southwest flow aloft as a Pacific low, currently over southern CA per the latest water vapor, fills and moves east into AZ. Drier air aloft rotating around the Pacific low will overtake the area Thursday and result in increased moisture convergence. This, along with more favorable veering wind profiles, instability generated by daytime heating and added forcing from the shortwave trough (formerly the Pacific low) will add up to increased chances for storms, with some possibly becoming strong. Burn scar flash flooding will still be a concern Thursday, but will hold off on a flash flood watch for now given initial storm motion will be cross-basin on the HPCC scar and forcing will be less impressive further south near the Ruidoso area scars. A few storms may linger after sunset Thursday evening across eastern NM where favorable low level inflow will reside. && .LONG TERM... (Friday through Tuesday) Issued at 1136 AM MDT Wed Jul 2 2025 PWATs will trend down dramatically on Independence Day as a drier airmass moves in behind the departing shortwave trough and a Monsoon high builds over NM through the holiday weekend. Expect a significant downtrend in daily rounds of storms Fri/Sat, with a few storms possible from the Sangre De Cristos east and south toward Clayton, Tucumcari and Clovis where sufficient moisture will remain. The Monsoon high is forecast to strengthen to near 595dam at 500mb over NM this weekend and will correlate with high temperatures rising to a few degrees above average most areas. PWATs will be back on the uptrend from early through mid next week as the upper high moves slowly westward, away from NM and low level moisture works northwest across the area under the upper high circulation. As a result, rounds of daytime heating triggered convection will be back on the uptrend, favoring the mountains during the afternoon hours and nearby highlands and valleys during the late afternoon and evening hours. Temperatures will generally be a few degrees above average across central and western NM next week under the influence of the upper high. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1136 AM MDT Wed Jul 2 2025 VFR conditions prevail and are forecast to persist through the TAF period across western NM, with moisture across eastern NM leading to periods of MVFR conditions in low stratus. Shorter-lived IFR conditions are possible at KLVS overnight. Scattered to numerous showers and storms today will mostly likely impact KGUP, KROW and KTCC, but probabilities are too low to include at other TAF sites. MVFR conditions will accompany showers and storms today, with potential for strong/erratic wind gusts across western NM. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 1136 AM MDT Wed Jul 2 2025 Critical fire weather conditions are not forecast through at least the next seven days. Good chances for wetting showers and storms will continue through Thursday and then get mostly shut-down on Fri/Sat as drier air moves in from the west and the Monsoon high builds over the region. Hotter conditions will prevail from late weekend through the middle of next week under the influence of the Monsoon high. Chances for wetting storms will be back on the uptrend during the late weekend through mid week period as moisture gets drawn into the Monsoon high circulation. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Farmington...................... 62 87 59 90 / 30 30 20 0 Dulce........................... 48 83 46 86 / 30 70 20 5 Cuba............................ 56 81 54 85 / 50 70 30 0 Gallup.......................... 52 82 49 86 / 60 70 20 0 El Morro........................ 53 79 52 83 / 60 70 20 0 Grants.......................... 53 82 52 88 / 40 70 20 0 Quemado......................... 57 79 55 83 / 60 70 30 10 Magdalena....................... 61 80 61 87 / 40 70 20 5 Datil........................... 55 76 56 83 / 70 70 20 10 Reserve......................... 54 84 51 90 / 70 70 20 10 Glenwood........................ 57 88 56 93 / 70 70 20 20 Chama........................... 47 78 45 80 / 30 70 30 10 Los Alamos...................... 59 79 58 83 / 40 70 40 5 Pecos........................... 55 79 56 84 / 40 70 30 5 Cerro/Questa.................... 54 81 53 83 / 20 70 20 10 Red River....................... 45 70 45 74 / 30 70 30 20 Angel Fire...................... 41 73 42 77 / 20 70 30 20 Taos............................ 52 83 50 85 / 20 70 20 10 Mora............................ 47 77 50 82 / 30 70 30 10 Espanola........................ 60 88 59 92 / 40 60 20 0 Santa Fe........................ 59 81 58 85 / 50 70 20 0 Santa Fe Airport................ 59 85 58 89 / 40 60 20 0 Albuquerque Foothills........... 67 88 66 92 / 40 60 30 0 Albuquerque Heights............. 66 89 64 94 / 40 50 20 0 Albuquerque Valley.............. 65 91 64 96 / 40 50 20 0 Albuquerque West Mesa........... 67 89 66 94 / 40 50 20 0 Belen........................... 64 91 63 95 / 40 50 20 0 Bernalillo...................... 65 91 64 95 / 40 50 20 0 Bosque Farms.................... 63 90 62 95 / 40 50 30 0 Corrales........................ 66 91 65 95 / 40 50 20 0 Los Lunas....................... 65 90 63 95 / 40 50 30 0 Placitas........................ 63 86 63 90 / 40 60 20 0 Rio Rancho...................... 66 89 65 94 / 40 50 20 0 Socorro......................... 67 90 66 97 / 50 60 20 0 Sandia Park/Cedar Crest......... 57 82 57 85 / 40 60 30 0 Tijeras......................... 59 83 59 88 / 40 60 30 0 Edgewood........................ 55 82 55 87 / 40 60 30 0 Moriarty/Estancia............... 54 83 53 88 / 40 60 30 0 Clines Corners.................. 55 77 56 83 / 30 60 30 0 Mountainair..................... 57 81 56 86 / 50 70 20 0 Gran Quivira.................... 57 81 56 86 / 50 70 20 5 Carrizozo....................... 61 82 62 89 / 50 70 30 5 Ruidoso......................... 54 73 57 81 / 50 70 30 20 Capulin......................... 54 78 53 82 / 20 40 30 20 Raton........................... 54 83 54 87 / 20 50 30 20 Springer........................ 57 84 56 89 / 20 50 30 10 Las Vegas....................... 54 79 54 86 / 30 70 30 5 Clayton......................... 61 83 61 90 / 20 20 30 10 Roy............................. 59 80 58 88 / 20 40 30 5 Conchas......................... 64 86 64 95 / 30 40 30 0 Santa Rosa...................... 62 82 62 91 / 30 40 30 0 Tucumcari....................... 62 83 64 93 / 30 30 30 0 Clovis.......................... 63 82 65 93 / 50 30 30 5 Portales........................ 63 83 65 94 / 50 40 30 5 Fort Sumner..................... 63 84 64 95 / 30 30 30 0 Roswell......................... 67 85 68 96 / 50 40 20 0 Picacho......................... 62 81 61 90 / 50 70 30 5 Elk............................. 57 79 59 87 / 60 70 30 10 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch until 8 PM MDT this evening for NMZ226. && SHORT TERM...11 LONG TERM....11 AVIATION...11
The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:54 UTC.
5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Burn scar flash flooding off the Salt burn scar produced high water flows and culvert issues diverting water into the Cherokee Mobile home park that ran right up to people's homes.
Heavy rainfall over the Albuquerque metro area produced dangerous fast flows on the area arroyo system. Two swift water rescues were performed in the diversion channel along I-40 and the Snow Heights neighborhood. Additionally, a man was trapped and swept up among floodwaters in an arroyo near Carlisle and Menaul Boulevard. Crews searched the North Diversion Channel and nearby areas for at least an hour before deploying an airboat in a washout area at Roy Avenue and Fourth Street. The man was not found in the washout area. The individual is assumed to have been deceased.
Heavy rain exceeding 2 inches caused thick dirt and debris runoffs over roadways across western Rio Rancho which caused at least one road closure and debris removal efforts. During debris removal efforts around sunrise, road crews located a deceased male near the intersection of Northern Blvd. and Calor Rd. NW.
A video from a KOB viewer on social media showed large areas of water inundating farmland and nearby properties around El Cerro. Time and location are estimated.
Overnight flood waters inundated a residence in Las Nutrias along NM 304. Flood waters also closed NM 304 at Las Nutrias Road, washing dirt onto the highway requiring debris removal later that day.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Bernalillo | 2025-07-03 | In Water | Indirect | ||
| Flash Flood, Sandoval | 2025-07-03 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, July 2025
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: 1259831, 1259832, 1259833, 1260026, 1259834.