New Mexico governor declares emergency over deadly flooding
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Floodwaters rushing past the USGS Rio Ruidoso station in New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon. Screenshot: USGS
New Mexico's flooding rains killed a man and two children in the Village of Ruidoso and prompted dozens of water rescues in the state's south over Tuesday night, officials said.
The big picture: N.M. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an emergency declaration late Tuesday "to get federal response teams and repair resources on the ground immediately," she said on Facebook.
- The thunderstorm that led to the National Weather Service declaring a flash flood emergency for the Ruidoso area on Tuesday afternoon emerged in moist air from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry, which also triggered catastrophic flooding in neighboring Texas.
Meanwhile, the NWS issued a flash flood warning for the Chicago area and noted 5.06 inches of rain fell in 1 hour and 30 minutes in the city's west.
Threat level: "Significant rainfall and water/debris flow is occurring! This is a life-threatening situation, move to higher ground immediately!" the NWS said on X.
- Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford told the KRUI radio station that crews were out searching for three missing people and there were gas leaks in an area where he believes a home was swept away.
- The NWS' Albuquerque office reported that multiple water rescues were underway at the village's Gavilan Trailer Park.
Situation report: A man age 40 to 50 died, along with a 4-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy after being "swept downstream by the unprecedented floodwaters that struck the area," per a Village of Ruidoso statement.
- "All three individuals were caught in the rushing floodwaters and carried downstream during the catastrophic flooding event that saw the Rio Ruidoso rise to a record-breaking 20 feet — five feet higher than the previous record."
- There were 85 "swift-water rescues" in the Ruidoso area following the extreme monsoonal rains as of Tuesday night, a New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management official told outlets.
- Images from the scene showed multiple structures destroyed.
- Roads were temporarily closed and crews were working to restore power following outage reports, according to Crawford. "We do have some mud sliding going on," he said.
Zoom in: Videos from the scene show fast-moving waters sweeping a home down a river and washing debris onto a bridge that then spills onto a road.
- USGS real-time data shows water levels at the Rio Ruidoso were "extremely above" its historic daily averages as of Tuesday evening.
- The river in the Hollywood neighborhood of Ruidoso had reached potentially record levels, per NWS Albuqurque.
Context: "The flash flooding occurred Tuesday afternoon when heavy monsoonal rains fell on burn scar areas from last year's South Fork and Salt fires, creating dangerous conditions that led to rapid water rise throughout the village," according to the Villa of Ruidoso.
What we're watching: While the NWS' flash flood emergency declaration had been lifted, a flood watch was in effect for the Ruidoso area until 9pm Wednesday local time.
- In Chicago, the local NWS office said in a forecast discussion there were chances for showers and thunderstorms returning Friday and Saturday, "with the best chance (50-70%) on Saturday."
- Strong or severe storms and heavy rain or localized flooding were possible in the city.
Between the lines: Research shows climate change is causing extreme precipitation events to be more intense and frequent as a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, providing added moisture and energy to storm systems.
Go deeper: Americans predict extreme weather chaos to surge in the future
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
