Afternoon storm floods Eagle Drive
Quick and heavy rains caused flooding in midtown Aug. 17. Water flowed down Eagle Drive to the Rio Ruidoso bridge, creating a need for caution as the river spiked at 110 cubic feet per second.
Pamela L. Bonner
The rain came down in buckets Friday, Aug. 17 at around 1:40 p.m. The heavy rain caused problems on Sudderth Drive and Eagle Drive with flooding at the bottom of the hill and on the bridge.
Rocks and mud were washed into the street and the Rio Ruidoso raged swiftly as the rains continued to dump on midtown.
According to the National Weather Service, Albuquerque office, Ruidoso has accumulated a total of 1.38 inches of precipitation in over a three day period from Thursday, Aug. 17 - Saturday Aug. 19.
Ruidoso received 0.43 inches on Thursday, 0.30 on Friday, and 0.65 inches on Saturday. The Aug. to date precipitation total is 3.30 inches.
More:Wet weather forecast to continue into next week for Ruidoso
Crews were called out to inspect several streets in the area and visitors could be seen rushing into stores to wait for a break in the rain.The storm lasted less than an hour, but caused flooding in several areas along Sudderth Drive and Eagle Drive.
According to a local water spotter, the Rio Ruidoso spiked at 110 cubic feet per second during the heavy down pour on Friday.
Pathways along Eagle Drive turned into small waterfalls as the rain water piled up in the middle of the street near the bridge. Several other areas were impacted by the swift and fast down pour and vehicles had to travel slowly through town as streets in several areas that accumulated high levels of water.
With more rain expected, drivers should remain cautious as the potential for further flooding is likely. No problems were reported concerning the Gavilan Canyon Bridge or Upper Canyon.
There is a very strong chance that this pattern will continue throughout the week according to the National Weather Service.