Three people drowned after being swept away by flash floods in New Mexico early Wednesday morning, police said, as unusually heavy rain continues to fall across the Southwest.
Navajo Police Department officials said officers responded to a report of three people swept away by floodwaters near Newcomb, New Mexico at around 12:30 a.m. local time and found two adults and a juvenile at the scene. All three people were confirmed dead. Newcomb belongs to the Navajo Nation. CNN has contacted authorities for further information.
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Rain in Newcombe began at around 4.30pm on Tuesday and continued intermittently until after midnight. A total of about 0.5 to 1 inch of rain fell in the area, most of it within an hour Tuesday evening.
New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado are facing the threat of severe flooding as a surge of moisture arrives in the region Wednesday into Thursday. Nearly 8 million people in those states are under flash flood warnings until Thursday morning.
Parts of New Mexico and south-central Arizona, including Phoenix and Tucson, are facing the threat of flooding due to rare level 3/4 heavy rains. This is the most severe flood threat issued for Phoenix since 2022.
The storm began to intensify in Arizona and New Mexico Wednesday afternoon, with several flash flood warnings in effect in Montana starting at 10:30 a.m. The threat of widespread flooding is expected to continue until approximately 11:00 PM PT, but may linger in isolated areas.
As of midday Wednesday, more than 3 inches of rain had fallen in just three hours around the Phoenix metropolitan area, with more expected.
These storms take advantage of unusually humid air that is being drawn north from Baja California. More than a month’s worth of rain can fall in just a few hours.
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Soils throughout the region are generally dry and compacted, so rainfall quickly runs off the surface rather than infiltrating. When combined with steep, narrow terrain, that runoff can turn into rapidly progressing flash floods, sometimes far away from where the heaviest rain fell.
New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso are especially at risk for flash floods and debris flows because they are scarred by wildfires and absorb even less moisture than the surrounding terrain. The quick mix of mud, rocks, and burnt vegetation can have an even more devastating impact than flooding alone.
Hikers visiting the Grand Canyon, Utah’s Zion National Park, and other natural areas should be wary of sudden flooding. This is because the normally dry ground that contains slot canyons can quickly fill up with surging floodwaters.
Dry air will eliminate the risk of flooding in Phoenix and Tucson by Thursday, but the threat will continue into the weekend in New Mexico.
As global temperatures rise due to pollution, extreme rainfall is becoming more common because warmer air can hold more moisture.
