The summer thunderstorm season with surges of monsoonal moisture typically begins in early July across southern and central New Mexico. But July of 2008 stood out as an exceptionally wet month across much of the state. The radar images below display samples of the heavy rain found across the state this July 2008, and the flash flooding they produced.

Hurricane Dolly made landfall in deep southern Texas on the 23rd and made its way across Texas on the 24th and 25th. Moisture from the remnants of Dolly poured into New Mexico on the 26th and 27th. This resulted in areas of steady, and occasionally heavy rain. This was the case in Ruidoso, where rain fell almost continuously from Saturday morning the 26th through Sunday morning the 27th. This resulted in 3 to 7 inches of rain across the Ruidoso area, causing the Rio Ruidoso to spill out of its banks during the early morning hours of Sunday the 27th. Widespread and serious flooding occurred all throughout Ruidoso, portions of Hollywood and Ruidoso Downs, as well as the Ruidoso Downs Racetrack. This was likely the worst flooding in Ruidoso since 1941. An estimated 350 homes were damaged or destroyed and around a dozen bridges washed out. People were trapped by flood waters for up to four days, especially in the Upper Canyon region above Ruidoso. Estimated damages have initially been between 15 and 20 million dollars.

The water vapor satellite image below shows a clearly defined circulation from former hurricane Dolly, as she entered southern New Mexico. Click here to learn more about tropical cyclones.

The radar loop below shows the persistent rain over the Ruidoso area from early on the 26th through the early morning hours of the 27th. Actual rainfall totals from around Ruidoso ranged from 3.5 to 7.0 inches over a 48 hour period.

The hydrographs below show the rapid increase in water flow (in cubic feet per second) on the Rio Ruidoso on the 26th into the 27th. The first hydrograph is from the Upper Canyon near the Mescalero Apache property line. The gauge failed at 215am on the 27th. The second hydrograph is from the gauge at Hollywood, on the Frieden Bloom Road Bridge.

Click on the images below to see some of the flooding that occurred in Ruidoso.

 

 

Other areas around New Mexico also received rainfall. The table below lists some of the higher rainfall totals.

Total Rainfall July 26-27th (inches)
Location	Amount
Capitan	3.93
Dunken	1.64
Edgewood 2SE	1.43
Ponderosa 2NW	1.29
San Antonio	1.25
Capulin	1.20
Eagle Nest	1.14
Moriarty	1.14
Sandia Park 5ESE	1.13
Belen	1.13