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Update: 8:06 p.m. Monday, July 12:The New Mexico Department of Transportation reports thatUS 70 is now open. The exit to White Sands Missile Range at exit 170 remains closed.
LAS CRUCES - A storm packing powerful winds and heavy rainfall rolled through southern New Mexicoon Sunday evening, knocking down trees and power lines and flooding roads.
Residents and municipalities awoke Monday to assess the damage. This story will be updated throughout the day as reports come in.
State transportation officials closed several roads overnight due to flooding, including US 70 at San Augustin Pass, Stern Drive in Las Cruces and several roads inHatch and Anthony.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation reports that US 70 is closed from NASA Road at milepost 161 to the entrance of White Sands Missile Range at milepost 170 and will likely be close for most of Monday. Crews are clearing debris and assessing damage from mudslides and flooding.See AlsoObituaries in Las Cruces, NM | Las Cruces Sun-News
Officials from White Sands Missile Range — on the east side of the Organ Mountains —announced a delay to the normal work schedule. Personnel are advised to check with their directors for information.
Mesoscale convective complex
The National Weather Service reports storms originally developed in the Roswell, Clovis areas, but a northern disturbancequickly developed storms over the Sacramento Mountains. The storms traveled into the lowlands andconverged into a mesoscale convective complex — which involves heavy rainfall, winds and hail.
Thestorm hitparts of Las Cruces and surrounding communities a little after 7 p.m. Sunday. The celltraveled south, hittingEl Paso and West Texas about 8 p.m. Another storm cell hit Hatch a little before 9 p.m. Also, still another dust storm Sunday eveningwreaked havoc near Lordsburg, causing a major pile-up on Interstate 10.
New Mexico State Police reported an adult and a child were hospitalized following crashes on I-10.
Rain gauges reveal Las Cruces received just under a quarter of an inch of precipitation, but reports were impacted by rain falling sideways due to the wind. Radar estimates have Las Cruces and El Paso receiving 1 to 2 inches of rain.
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Hail nearly 2 inches in size fell south of Cloudcroft, Alamogordo and in west El Paso causing damage.
Wind gust of 92 miles per hour
The National Weather Service station in Santa Teresa reported a peak wind gust of 92 miles per hour at Twin Peaks, north of US 70 and east of Interstate 25, at 7:15 p.m. That's nearlyCategory 2 Hurricane force winds, which measure from 96 to 110 miles per hour.
Dripping Springs reported roughly 70 mile per hour winds and Las Cruces reported 61 mile per hour winds. The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum recorded an 81-mile-per-hour gust.
"Not a good year for my trees in my Las Cruces yard. Lost another one during tonight's storm. This time a 30' pine and mostly missed my house and the neighbor's," tweeted New Mexico State Climatologist Dave DuBois.
The National Weather Service station in Santa Teresa reported the winds knocked out one of their weather transmitting radio towers. About 7:30 p.m., the NWS recorded a 68-mile-per-hour wind gust at its building and reported a temperature drop from 92 degrees Fahrenheit to 62 degrees in 20 minutes.
Dozens of residents took to social media to postimages of downed trees and sparks from downed power lines.
Weather spotter Lori Grace Bailey posted several videos of the storm cell overtaking Las Cruces on her Twitter account.
El Paso Electric reported more than 17,000 customers lost power at some point due to the storm. The company's outage map shows manyresidents throughout the Las Cruces-El Paso corridor are still without power Monday morning.
Forecast
The NWS predicts a quieter day Monday with high pressure taking over the area and northern continental flow bringing drier air into the upper levels of the area. Skies are hazy due to smoke from wildfires in the west and northwest United States and central Canada.
Showers and thunderstorms will likely return in the latter half of the week, but not at the intensity of Sunday's storm which had just the right "ingredients" to sustain the severity.
Safe driving tips
Las Cruces police are reporting several Las Cruces area roadways are littered with fallen trees and debris. Trees touching live power lines should always be avoided since they serve as a conveyance for electrical shock, LCPD reminds residents.
Motorists and fellow residents are encouraged to follow these and other safety tips:
- Motorists should slow down and allow for more travel time when driving in wet weather.
- When coming to a stop, motorists should begin slowing down sooner and apply gentle brake pressure. Avoid slamming on brakes.
- Drivers should allow for greater distance between vehicles. Normal driving conditions recommend travelling at least two seconds behind vehicles. During wet weather it is recommended to increase that distance.
- Give larger vehicles, like trucks and buses, more room for stops and turns.
- Avoid making sudden turns or lane changes.
- Drive around puddles as sitting water may be deeper than what it appears.
- Never attempt to drive through flooded arroyos or running water. Even when driving a large vehicle, like a truck or SUV, fast-moving water can easily overcome it.
- Drive with headlights on for safety and stay alert to surrounding traffic and changing weather conditions.
- If rain is too heavy or streets are flooded, pull over to a safe distance from the roadway – in a parking lot or away from traffic – until conditions improve.
- Get indoors when lightning is seen or when thunder is heard.
- Lightning tends to strike taller objects, so avoid open areas and especially keep from being at or near tallest object in an open area.
- Stay away from tall trees, utility poles, towers and any body of water.
- If you’re in a group of people and unable to take shelter, have the group spread out. Doing so will prevent multiple casualties during a lightning strike and will increase the chance that someone can help if an injury occurs.
- Keep away from electrical equipment, corded telephones and plumbing during a storm. Don’t swim, shower, bathe or wash dishes during a lightning storm.
- Stay clear of and avoid driving over any downed power lines.
Lucas Peerman can be reached at [email protected] or @LittleGuyInATie on Twitter.