Flash flooding kills 3 overnight in New Mexico, police say, as serious flood threat ramps up for Southwest
By Meteorologist Tyler Ory, CNN
(CNN) — Three people drowned after being swept away by flash flooding in New Mexico early Wednesday, police say, as more rounds of unusually intense rain target the Southwest.
Officers responded at around 12:30 a.m. local time to a report of three people washed away by flooding near Newcomb, New Mexico, and discovered two adults and one juvenile on scene, the Navajo Police Department said in a statement. All three were pronounced dead. Newcomb is on the Navajo Nation. CNN has reached out to authorities for more information.
Rainfall over Newcomb began Tuesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. and lingered intermittently until just after midnight. The area saw around 0.5 inches to 1 inch of rain in total, with most of it falling within an hour Tuesday evening.
New Mexico as well as Arizona, Utah and Colorado are facing a serious flood threat Wednesday into Thursday as surge of moisture arrives in the region. Nearly 8 million people remain under a flash flood watch until Thursday morning across those states.
A rare Level 3 of 4 threat of flooding rainfall is in effect for parts of New Mexico and south-central Arizona, including Phoenix and Tucson. This is the most significant flood threat issued for Phoenix since 2022.
Storms began ramping up over Arizona and New Mexico Wednesday afternoon, with several flash flood warnings issued since 10:30 a.m. MT. The widespread flooding rain threat will last until approximately 11:00 p.m. MT, but may linger in isolated areas.
Soil across the region is generally dry and compacted, so rainfall quickly runs off the surface rather than soaking in. When combined with steep and narrow terrain, that runoff can quickly turn into fast-moving flash floods, sometimes far from where the heaviest rain actually fell.
New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso are particularly at risk for flash flooding and debris flows due to the wildfire-scarred ground that absorbs even less water than the surrounding terrain typically does. The fast-moving mix of mud, rock and burned vegetation can be even more destructive than floodwater alone.
Hikers at the Grand Canyon, Utah’s Zion National Park and other wilderness areas s hould be on alert for sudden flooding, since normally dry ground, including slot canyons, can quickly fill with surging floodwater.
Drier air will put an end to the flood risk for Phoenix and Tucson by Thursday, but the threat will continue into the weekend for New Mexico.
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