Flash Flood Warning Issued for Northern Otero County, NM
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A Flash Flood Warning is in effect until 4:15 PM MDT for the Salt Fire Burn Scar in Northern Otero County due to thunderstorms producing heavy rain.
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- Record type
- Flash Flood Warning
- Affected area
- Northern Otero County, NM
- Issued
- August 19, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
Flood notices turn on location and timing. Treat the named area as this record's scope; do not assume nearby counties, parishes, or waterways were included.
Record status: publication date is recent, but current status is not stored on this page. Check the issuing agency's live warning service before acting because warnings can be updated, narrowed, or cancelled.
Alert Details
Flash Flood Warning issued by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM. Effective from August 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM MDT until August 19, 2026 at 4:15 PM MDT. Severity: Severe. Urgency: Immediate. Certainty: Likely.
Affected Areas
Northern Otero County in south central New Mexico, specifically the Salt Fire Burn Scar. Impacted locations include Snow Canyon, Bear Canyon, Fence Canyon, and portions of US Highway 70 between Apache Summit and the Otero-Lincoln County line. Debris flows may move through canyons flowing north towards Cherokee Bill Canyon.
What You Should Do
This is a life threatening situation. Heavy rainfall will cause extensive and severe flash flooding of creeks, streams, and ditches in the Salt Fire Burn Scar. Severe debris flows can also be anticipated across roads. Roads and driveways may be washed away in places. If you encounter flood waters, climb to safety.
Expected Conditions
At 2:00 PM MDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain over the Salt Fire Burn Scar. Between 0.3 and 0.9 inches of rain have fallen, with additional rainfall amounts of 0.2 to 0.5 inches possible. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will result in debris flow consisting of rock, mud, vegetation and other loose materials.
Timeline
The warning is effective from August 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM MDT and ends at 4:15 PM MDT the same day.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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