A playset partially submerged under soils near an arroyo in Ruidoso captured Aug. 20, 2024. Ephemeral streams and arroyos in the Hondo valley have been awash in debris flows from the heavy rains following the South Fork and Salt fires, carrying soils and ash down from the mountains into the valley. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)
While monsoons returned to New Mexico this summer and alleviated some of the state’s acute drought concerns, areas hit by wildfire faced dangerous debris flows, and other places lost out on needed rain.
“Monsoons are a mixed blessing,” said Andrew Mangham, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque. “They are a very important part of our hydrology in the state, helping with our drought conditions and our crop conditions. But they come with some struggles, flooding in areas.”
New Mexico’s monsoons are always difficult to predict . This year, monsoon rains were pretty active across much of the state, including the Four Corners region and portions of Albuquerque. More rain meant severe flooding in the Hermit Peak/Calf Canyon and South Fork and Salt fire burn scars, which caused evacuations and damage.