Flash flooding kills 3 overnight in New Mexico, police say, as serious flood threat ramps up for Southwest

From Navajo Police Department

Three people drowned after being swept away by flash flooding in New Mexico early Wednesday, police say, as more rounds of unusually intense rain target the Southwest.

Officers responded at around 12:30 a.m. local time to a report of three people washed away by flooding near Newcomb, New Mexico, and discovered two adults and one juvenile on scene, the Navajo Police Department said in a statement. All three were pronounced dead. Newcomb is on the Navajo Nation. CNN has reached out to authorities for more information.

Rainfall over Newcomb began Tuesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. and lingered intermittently until just after midnight. The area saw around 0.5 inches to 1 inch of rain in total, with most of it falling within an hour Tuesday evening.

New Mexico as well as Arizona, Utah and Colorado are facing a serious flood threat Wednesday into Thursday as surge of moisture arrives in the region. Nearly 8 million people remain under a flash flood watch until Thursday morning across those states.

A rare Level 3 of 4 threat of flooding rainfall is in effect for parts of New Mexico and south-central Arizona, including Phoenix and Tucson. This is the most significant flood threat issued for Phoenix since 2022.

Storms began ramping up over Arizona and New Mexico Wednesday afternoon, with several flash flood warnings issued since 10:30 a.m. MT. The widespread flooding rain threat will last until approximately 11:00 p.m. MT, but may linger in isolated areas.

Soil across the region is generally dry and compacted, so rainfall quickly runs off the surface rather than soaking in. When combined with steep and narrow terrain, that runoff can quickly turn into fast-moving flash floods, sometimes far from where the heaviest rain actually fell.

New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso are particularly at risk for flash flooding and debris flows due to the wildfire-scarred ground that absorbs even less water than the surrounding terrain typically does. The fast-moving mix of mud, rock and burned vegetation can be even more destructive than floodwater alone.

Hikers at the Grand Canyon, Utah’s Zion National Park and other wilderness areas s hould be on alert for sudden flooding, since normally dry ground, including slot canyons, can quickly fill with surging floodwater.

Drier air will put an end to the flood risk for Phoenix and Tucson by Thursday, but the threat will continue into the weekend for New Mexico.

来自纳瓦霍警察局

警方称，周三清晨，新墨西哥州发生山洪暴发，三人被洪水卷走溺亡。与此同时，美国西南部地区正遭受更多轮异常强烈的降雨袭击。

当地时间凌晨12点30分左右，警方接到报警称新墨西哥州纽科姆附近发生洪水，三人被洪水冲走。纳瓦霍警察局在一份声明中表示，警方赶到现场后发现两名成年人和一名未成年人，三人均已死亡。纽科姆位于纳瓦霍族保留地内。CNN已联系有关部门以获取更多信息。

纽科姆地区周二下午4点半左右开始下雨，断断续续持续到午夜过后。该地区总降雨量约为0.5到1英寸，其中大部分降雨集中在周二晚上的一个小时内。

由于一股强劲的降水气流将于周三至周四抵达该地区，新墨西哥州以及亚利桑那州、犹他州和科罗拉多州将面临严重的洪水威胁。这些州近800万人仍处于山洪暴发预警之下，预警将持续到周四上午。

新墨西哥州部分地区和亚利桑那州中南部，包括凤凰城和图森市，目前正处于罕见的3级（共4级）洪涝灾害预警状态。这是自2022年以来凤凰城面临的最严重洪涝灾害预警。

周三下午，亚利桑那州和新墨西哥州的暴雨开始增强，自上午10:30（山区时间）起，已发布多项山洪暴发预警。大范围的暴雨洪水威胁将持续到晚上11:00（山区时间）左右，但部分地区可能会持续更长时间。

该地区土壤普遍干燥板结，因此雨水会迅速从地表径流而下，无法渗入地下。再加上地形陡峭狭窄，这种径流很容易演变成快速移动的突发性洪水，有时甚至发生在远离降雨量最大地点的地方。

新墨西哥州鲁伊多索附近的萨克拉门托山脉由于山火肆虐，地面吸水能力远低于周边地区，因此极易发生山洪暴发和泥石流。泥浆、岩石和烧焦植被的混合物快速移动，其破坏力甚至可能超过单纯的洪水。

在大峡谷、犹他州锡安国家公园和其他荒野地区徒步旅行的人应该警惕突发洪水，因为通常干燥的地面，包括狭缝型峡谷，可能会迅速被汹涌的洪水灌满。

到周四，干燥的空气将消除凤凰城和图森的洪水风险，但新墨西哥州的洪水威胁将持续到周末。