By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper
New Mexicans who spent last week wringing out their socks should keep the towels handy. Moisture from Hurricane Polo is rolling north this week, and it’s bringing flash flood risk to nearly every corner of the state.
Polo is forecast to hit Baja California Sur Monday night as a Category 2 hurricane, according to AccuWeather. Its moisture will then join a storm system over the West, fueling rounds of rain and thunderstorms from Arizona to the Plains through Friday. AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco described three weather features merging into “one large and powerful storm.”
The National Weather Service in Albuquerque has a Flood Watch in effect from Monday through at least Wednesday morning across most of New Mexico. Forecasters expect 1 to 3 inches in most areas, with 4 to 6 inches possible in isolated spots that get hit by repeated downpours.
Poorly drained areas, urban arroyos and recent burn scars are the main concern, and the ground has little room left. Through Sept. 25, Clovis had logged 9 inches of rain this month, against a full-month average of 2 inches, AccuWeather reported. Taos had received six times its September average.
The storm has an upside. AccuWeather said runoff could raise low water levels along the Rio Grande and Pecos rivers and ease drought in parts of the region. Drier conditions should return west to east across New Mexico Thursday and Friday, according to the weather service.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 1-3 inches: Expected rainfall in most of New Mexico, Monday through Wednesday (NWS)
- 4-8 inches: AccuWeather’s forecast for a corridor from northeastern New Mexico to central Iowa, Monday through Friday
- 9 inches: Clovis’ September rainfall through Sept. 25, compared with a 2-inch monthly average
Stay ahead of the storm:
- Watches and warnings: weather.gov/abq
- Never drive through a flooded road or arroyo. Turn around, don’t drown.