Monsoon rains will continue; flooding possible
Aug. 9—Monsoon weather patterns will continue through much of New Mexico, making conditions dicey for those living in or near burn scar areas, the National Weather Service said Monday.
The greatest chance of heavy storms are over the next few days, said meteorologist Daniel Porter.
"Unfortunately, flash flooding [potential] on burn scars continues," he said during a Monday afternoon news briefing. "We still need to remain on guard."
Though the state has experienced what Porter called a "beneficial" monsoon this summer, it comes with the danger for continued flooding in areas already hit hard in the past by fires.
Locally, Tesuque and Rio en Medio have been deluged by flash flooding, some caused by burn scars created from fires that took place a few years ago.
The weather service also issued a flash flood warning for the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire area of San Miguel and Mora counties, including the community of Rociada, which has been hard-hit by flooding.
Porter said burn scars can be more seriously affected by flooding one or two years after the initial event. He said those areas can pick up fast-moving water runoff with as little as a quarter of an inch of rain per hour.
"We are projecting one to two inches per hour" with storms in some areas during the first part of this week, he added.
On Wednesday, the potential for storm activity comes down as a high pressure system moves slowly toward the western part of the state.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe — which received 1.72 inches of rain in the past week — has a 60 percent chance of rainfall activity Tuesday and a 40 percent chance on Wednesday. The chances then drop to the 20 to 30 percent range for the rest of the week.
"We'll still have showers and thunderstorms throughout the region, but they may not be as heavy rain producers when you compare it to early portion of the week," Porter said.
Temperatures will hover in the mid- to high-80s in the Santa Fe area throughout the week.
