Flash Flood Watch

...FLASH FLOODING POSSIBLE FROM THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING... .THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR FLASH FLOODING TO DEVELOP FROM SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING AS THE REMNANTS OF A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT RECENTLY CROSSED SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO GRADUALLY SHIFT NORTHWARD AND A MONSOON MOISTURE SURGE GRADUALLY SHIFTS EASTWARD FROM ARIZONA. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SLOW TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON...BUT THEY WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS THIS EVENING AND ESPECIALLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE MOISTURE PLUME MOVES MORE SQUARELY OVER WESTERN PARTS OF THE STATE. LOCATIONS WHERE THE GROUND IS SATURATED FROM RECENT RAINFALL WILL BE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLASH FLOODING FROM SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. STORMS WILL MOVE MORE CONSISTENTLY OUT OF THE SOUTH ON SATURDAY...AND MULTIPLE STORMS MAY TRAIN REPEATEDLY OVER SOME LOCATIONS THEREBY INCREASING THE RISK OF FLASH FLOODING. LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THE COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO DECREASE. HOWEVER...SOME COMPUTER MODELS INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN MAY RETURN TO THE NORTHWEST THIRD OF NEW MEXICO ON SUNDAY. ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM NOON MDT TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR A PORTION OF NORTH AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO... INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...CHUSKA MOUNTAINS...FAR NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS...JEMEZ MOUNTAINS...LOWER CHAMA RIVER VALLEY...NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET/RED RIVER...NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS...NORTHWEST PLATEAU...SAN FRANCISCO RIVER VALLEY...SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS...SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9500 FEET...SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY...WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS...WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...WEST CENTRAL PLATEAU AND WEST SLOPES SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS. * FROM NOON MDT TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING * SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THEN BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN ABOUT AN HOUR. * TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS MAY CAUSE SUDDEN WATER RISES AND THE POSSIBLE OVERFLOW OF DITCHES...ARROYOS AND SMALL STREAMS. IN TOWN STREETS...UNDERPASSES AND INTERSECTIONS MAY FLOOD. LOW LYING AREAS AND ADJACENT STRUCTURES WILL ALSO BE PRONE TO FLASH FLOODING.