Flash Flooding Kills 3 in New Mexico as House Swept Away

Flood watch for flash flooding was issued by the National Weather Service several hours before the devastation began.

A still from video shows flash flooding behind a house in Ruidoso, New Mexico, on July 8, 2025. Kaitlyn Carpenter/AP

Flash flooding triggered by monsoon rains in New Mexico on Tuesday killed at least three people, including two children, as it hit the mountain village of Ruidoso, sweeping a house downstream.

Authorities in Ruidoso said in a July 8 statement that the river rose to record levels, sweeping away a 40- to 50-year-old man, a 4-year-old girl, and a 7-year-old boy.

“Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy,” Mayor Lynn Crawford said. “The entire Village of Ruidoso extends our deepest sympathy and compassion to these grieving families during this unimaginably difficult time.”

According to authorities, flash flooding was caused by heavy monsoonal rains falling on burn scar areas from fires last year.

Within an hour of the initial flash flood warning, the Rio Ruidoso reached its flood stage at 15 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

By Tuesday evening, three people were reported missing. Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said emergency crews had carried out at least 85 swift-water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including rescuing people trapped in their homes and cars.

Videos of raging, muddy water have appeared across social media, some showing an entire house swept up in the current.

Just after 4 p.m. Mountain Time, a flash flood warning was issued for south-central Lincoln County, New Mexico, as thunderstorms continued to affect areas around the Blue 2 Burn Scar.

“Excessive rainfall over the burn scar will impact the Rio Bonito and Upper Eagle Creek,” the weather service said in the warning. “This includes but is not limited to all properties and structures along Forest Service Road 107, the Bonito Lake Area, the Rio Bonito bridges on Highways 37 and 48, and areas downstream of Highway 48 along the Rio Bonito.”

The warning added that, “The debris flow can consist of rock, mud, vegetation, and other loose materials.”

As of 4:06 p.m., between 0.25 and 0.5 inches of rain had fallen, with up to an additional 0.75 inches possible within the warned area.

Hydrologist Greg Waller of the West Gulf River Forecast Center in Fort Worth, Texas, recently told The Epoch Times it is the rate of rainfall in a certain location that determines flash flooding more than the total rainfall volume.

“Two inches over 24 hours produces a different runoff pattern than two inches in half an hour,” he said.

Flash flood warnings remain in effect for the areas around the South Fork burn scar, including Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, and Hollywood, New Mexico, until at least 7:15 p.m.

“Emergency Management reported ongoing flash flooding and debris flows in the Ruidoso area,” the warning stated.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said an additional 1.3 to 3.5 inches of rain had fallen since the last warning was issued, and excessive rainfall was expected to impact Brady Canyon, Upper Canyon, Perk Canyon, and the drainages for Cedar Creek, Eagle Creek, and the Rio Ruidoso.

The agency’s Albuquerque office issued a flood watch for flash flooding at 6:49 a.m. for south-central Lincoln County around Ruidoso, warning that scattered thunderstorms and showers were forecast for the afternoon, along with persistent high atmospheric moisture.

“The ground on recent burn scars is already saturated from heavy rainfall and flash flooding that occurred on Monday, so rapid runoff will develop easily today,” the office warned on the NWS website.

That watch came with a marginal risk of severe storms from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“Damaging winds, large hail, and frequent lightning strikes are the primary risks,” the service said. ”However, some storms will be capable of producing locally heavy rainfall over southern areas as well.”