NEW MEXICO HIT by Flash Floods — 60 MPH GUSTS & Hail Bigger Than a Quarter (Latest Updates)

Heavy rain and flash flooding have hit western New Mexico since Tuesday night, October 20, as an unusually powerful stream of tropical moisture moves across the state. By Thursday, October 22, the National Weather Service had issued Flood Watches covering much of western and southwestern New Mexico, including Farmington, Gallup, Zuni Pueblo, the Navajo Nation and mountain areas near the Gila. Already-soaked ground and repeated rounds of storms are increasing the risk of rapid runoff and dangerous flooding. Some locations received more than an inch of rain before the latest round of storms arrived. Forecasters warned that additional rainfall through Friday could bring widespread totals of up to 1.75 inches, with isolated areas potentially receiving much more. Severe thunderstorms could also produce wind gusts up to 60 mph, large hail and a possible tornado or two. Rising water levels along the San Juan and Animas rivers are being monitored, although river flooding was not yet forecast. In this video, we explain the atmospheric river fueling the storms, why saturated desert ground can quickly turn heavy rain into flash flooding, and the severe-weather threats facing western New Mexico. We also examine the expanding flood risk around Albuquerque and the Rio Grande Valley. A second storm system could bring another surge of tropical moisture this weekend, shifting the threat toward eastern New Mexico, including Clovis, Tucumcari and Roswell, where additional heavy rainfall is possible. Global Weather covers natural disasters and extreme weather events as they develop, using sourced reporting and avoiding unsupported speculation. CHAPTERS 00:20 Flash Flooding Hits Western New Mexico 01:14 Flood Watches Cover Much of the State 02:08 Why the Continental Divide Matters 03:01 Flash Flood Warning Issued for Zuni Pueblo 03:55 Saturated Ground Raises the Flood Risk 04:49 Repeated Storms Bring Training Rainfall 05:42 Atmospheric River Sends Tropical Moisture North 06:35 Record Moisture Levels Threaten New Mexico 07:29 How Much More Rain Could Fall? 08:23 Severe Storms Bring Hail and 60 MPH Winds 09:16 Tornado Risk and Dangerous Microbursts 10:09 Flood Watches Expand Across Southwest New Mexico 11:02 San Juan and Animas Rivers Face Rising Water 11:55 Flash Flood Dangers on Roads and Arroyos 12:49 Flood Risk Spreads Toward Albuquerque 13:43 Second Storm Could Bring More Heavy Rain 14:37 Western Flood Threat Continues Into Friday SOURCES National Weather Service National Weather Service Albuquerque Forecast Office National Weather Service El Paso Forecast Office NOAA Storm Prediction Center #NewMexicoFloods #NewMexicoWeather #FlashFlooding #FloodWatch #AtmosphericRiver #SevereWeather #FarmingtonNM #GallupNM #AlbuquerqueWeather #TornadoRisk #ExtremeRainfall #GlobalWeather