Flash Flooding Hits New Mexico Mountain Village

Floodwaters trapped people in their homes and cars Tuesday in a mountain village in southern New Mexico as monsoon rains triggered flash flooding and an entire house was swept downstream. Emergency crews carried out at least 85 swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars, said Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. No injuries or deaths were immediately reported, but Silva said the extent of the destruction wouldn't be known until the water recedes, the AP reports.

• Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said three people are missing, reports NBC News. "If you're at home, stay at home," Crawford said late Tuesday. "If you're high and dry, that's a good deal right now."

• Officials urged residents to seek higher ground in the afternoon as the waters of the Rio Ruidoso rose nearly 19 feet in a matter of minutes amid heavy rainfall.
• The National Weather Service issued flood warnings in the area, stripped of nearby vegetation by recent wildfires. In a post on X, the NWS's Albuquerque office said: "A DANGEROUS situation is unfolding in RUIDOSO! A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY remains in effect! Seek HIGHER GROUND NOW! Do NOT attempt to drive through the floodwaters. The current will carry away your vehicle!

• A weather service flood gauge and companion video camera showed churning waters of the Rio Ruidoso surge over the river's banks into surrounding forest. Streets and bridges were closed in response. "The Rio Ruidoso at Hollywood reached a provisional crest of 20.24 feet this afternoon while significant flash flooding was occurring," the NWS said in another post on X. If confirmed, it would be a record high crest, compared to 15.86 feet recorded on July 20 last year, the NWS said.
• The area, a popular summer retreat, has been especially vulnerable to flooding since the summer of 2024, when the South Fork and Salt fires raced across tinder-dry forest and destroyed an estimated 1,400 homes and structures. Residents were forced to flee a wall of flames, only to grapple with intense flooding later that summer.