Rainfall caused minor flooding and road closures Thursday, Sept. 24, across southeast New Mexico.
All 33 counties in New Mexico have been under a flood watch since Tuesday, Sept. 22, because of heavy rain caused by a surge of monsoon moisture from the Pacific and Baja Peninsula areas by way of south-southwesterly winds, according to Kirsten Snodgrass, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. That flood watch remained in effect until 6 a.m. Friday.
Rainfall began in parts of the state Tuesday, producing as much as three or four inches in some places, Snodgrass said.
As of noon Thursday, Roswell had received between 1.75 and 2.25 inches. Parts of Chaves County got 1.25 to 2.9 inches, Snodgrass said. The heaviest rain fell in Roswell between 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and about 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
In Artesia, rainfall totaled between 1.14 and 1.5 inches, beginning Tuesday at about 7:30 p.m. and ending at about 6 a.m. Thursday. Between 2.18 and 2.64 inches fell in Carlsbad from 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday, Snodgrass said.
The forecast from the National Weather Service predicts a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms Thursday night in Roswell, Artesia and Carlsbad, with rainfall totals between 0.25 and 0.50 inches.
The forecast also calls for a 60% chance of rain Friday in Roswell, mainly after 9 a.m., with new rainfall totaling between 0.1 and 0.25 inches. Artesia has a 50% chance of thunderstorms Friday, and Carlsbad a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Alex Ross | Roswell Tribune
Chaves County sees some flooding, road closures
Minor flooding was reported in some parts of Chaves County along the Rio Penasco and other low-lying areas, specifically locations four miles east and six miles southeast of Elk Canyon Road, Snodgrass said. No property damage was reported.
Lincoln and Cherokee roads in Chaves County were closed at the crossing of the Felix River, said Alex Paldeno, Chaves County public service director, in a text message conversation. He added that other roads in low-lying areas, such as Morgan and Old YO roads, could be closed depending on the heaviness of rain Thursday night.
No roads were closed within the city of Roswell as of Thursday, but public access was blocked to the city’s landfill Wednesday and remained partially closed Thursday so unpaved roads could be rebuilt in the aftermath of the rain, according to Todd Wildermuth, public information officer for the city of Roswell.
On Thursday, the public convenience center was open, but access to the area in the back of the landfill used for commercial and larger residential waste — known as the pit — remained closed because of slippery roads that can cause vehicles to become stuck, crash into one another or collide with other equipment, according to information from the Roswell Solid Waste Department.
City Officials said the pit will remain closed on Friday.
Landfill staff are working to lay wood chips and gravel on the roads to enhance safety, but because of the slow, intermittent rain in recent days, the ground has become saturated and must dry out naturally, according to the information. Allowing more vehicles on those roads will bring in more water and make conditions worse.
The road conditions did not affect the pickup of curbside trash containers, but the information from the Solid Waste Department stated that the pickup of larger containers in alleyways could be delayed because of muddy or unsafe conditions where a truck could get stuck.
