Odile's Remnants Bring Flash Flooding to New Mexico, Texas: Recap

(MORE: Carlsbad, N.M. Flooding | El Paso Flooding Kills One)

Hurricane Odile tied for the strongest hurricane of record to landfall in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur during the late evening hours on September 14. Long after Odile's wind circulation dissipated, the remnant moisture from Odile continued to spawn heavy rain across many areas of Texas and New Mexico, and especially areas near the border between those two states.

Typical of tropical cyclones tracking near or over the Baja peninsula, a pump of deep tropical moisture on the eastern flank of Odile's circulation surged into the U.S., bringing heavy rainfall and flash flooding. 

Rainfall rates of over 1 inch per hour were common with thunderstorms that developed and redeveloped over a period of about a week.

Estimates from NOAA's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service indicated that parts of Eddy and Lea counties in New Mexico and Loving, Reeves and Culberson counties in Texas received 10 to 20 inches of rain in the one-week period from Sept. 15-22. A much larger area covering tens of thousands of square miles from southeast Arizona to west-central Texas received at least 2 inches of rain.

As a result of the widespread heavy rainfall over a normally arid region, many streams and rivers went out of their banks. There were numerous reports of water rescues and flooded highways, and at least 56 people were temporarily trapped at work sites by flooding in the region.

There were also spotty bouts of heavy rainfall in central and southeast Texas, including the Austin and Houston areas, particularly on Sept. 18-19. Drier air moved into those areas by Sept. 21 even as areas farther west continued to get soaked.

Heavy Rain and Flood Reports:

   - Street flooding in Las Cruces and Silver City, New Mexico, on Monday, Sept. 22.

   - Flash flooding on the north side of El Paso, Texas Monday morning claimed one life.

   - Near-record flooding swamped parts of Carlsbad, New Mexico Sunday night into early Monday with up to four feet of water.

   - Several reports of street flooding in Midland, Texas, on Sunday, Sept. 21.

   - In Gail, Texas, northeast of Midland, 8.96 inches of rain fell in just over three hours and water up to the doors of houses was reported on Saturday morning, Sept. 20. A flash flood emergency was issued for Borden county where most roads were impassable. Through Sunday afternoon, 14.94 inches of total rain was measured near the town of Gail since Sept. 18.

   - National Guard was providing assistance to, and extracting, a 48 person work crew in Whites City, New Mexico Saturday.

   - Eight to ten men were stranded on oil equipment Friday night, Sept. 19, due to flooding in Mentone, Texas.

   - In Eddy County, New Mexico, an oilfield worker was found dead after his vehicle was stranded in flood waters early Friday morning, KOB-TV reports. In addition, the National Guard worked Friday to rescue 40 oilfield workers stranded on a county road near Artesia.

   - Flash flooding impacted the morning commute in Houston, Texas on Friday where heavy rain closed some roads and water rescues were reported.

   - Numerous roads in southern parts of Odessa, Texas were reported to have two to three feet of water over them.

   - Several vehicles were washed off state highway 176 near Eunice, New Mexico on Friday where four feet of water was running over portions of the road.

   - Plainview, Texas, located north of Lubbock, reported 4.31 inches of rain on Thursday, Sept. 18, with some roads flooded.  

   - Flash flooding in the Austin, Texas, area early Thursday morning claimed the life of a Sheriff's deputy, who was swept away in floodwaters; 7.1 inches of rain was reported in the area

   - Kelp, Texas, near El Paso, reported 3.0 inches of rain with significant flooding in the area.

   - Several roads were closed early Thursday morning in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

   - Mud and rocks were reported over highway 62/180 through Guadalupe Pass in Pine Springs, Texas on Thursday morning.

   - Nearly two inches of rain fell within a two hour period Wednesday night, Sept. 17, in El Paso, Texas, which was heavy enough to flood Interstate 10. In east El Paso, fire department rescue personnel reported that as many as five cars were swept into a ditch by flood waters; several water rescues were underway.

   - As much as 2.8 inches of rain fell near Coronado, Arizona on Wednesday afternoon.

   - Heavy rain was reported on Tuesday, Sept. 16, near Lake Havasu City, Arizona where one inch of rain fell in just 30 minutes.

   - A slow-moving thunderstorm drifted over the south side of Albuquerque on Monday, Sept. 15, unleashing up to 3 inches of rain in an hour according to Doppler radar estimates.

(INTERACTIVE MAP: Desert Southwest current dew points)

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