Storm Updates: New Mexico Flood Slight, Quiet Severe Pulse — Friday, September 25, 2026

This is a live Friday afternoon snapshot of U.S. local-storm activity as of Friday, September 25, 2026. The organized desk is still water on the southern High Plains, not a national wind outbreak. The Storm Prediction Center 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook, issued 0251 PM CDT and valid 252000Z–261200Z, carries no severe thunderstorm areas. Summary language from Norman: organized severe thunderstorms are not expected today. The 20Z update made no changes. Isolated thunderstorms were noted across western Oklahoma around 1945 UTC, but cloud cover continues to limit heating. The Weather Prediction Center Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook still holds a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall across portions of the southern High Plains, with moisture lifting northeast toward the central Kansas–Nebraska border and the northern Nebraska–Iowa border tonight.

Restoration exposure this afternoon is water: leftover runoff from last night’s New Mexico–west Texas MCS, live flash-flood warnings on the Albuquerque desk, and isolated heavy cells if storms redevelop on already wet ground. Wind and hail remain a low-confidence scatter, not a watch overlay. Conditions change fast. Verify with the National Weather Service for the specific county or ZIP before you roll.

What is live this afternoon

No tornado or severe thunderstorm watches are current. The SPC watch page, updated 1804 UTC Friday, states no watches are valid. The last issued convective watch on the board is Watch 674, already expired. No mesoscale discussions are in effect as of 2010 UTC Friday. Yesterday evening’s 0100 UTC Day 1 outlook had carried a Marginal Risk over parts of the Texas Panhandle; that window closed overnight. Today’s packages dropped categorical severe probabilities entirely.

Water products are the live overlay. NWS Albuquerque issued a flash-flood warning at 135 PM MDT Friday for east-central Cibola County until 430 PM MDT, covering Laguna Pueblo, New Laguna, Mesita, Acoma Pueblo, Paraje, Seama, and Acomita, including Interstate 40 between mile markers 106 and 121. Radar indicated up to 1 inch already down with another half inch possible. A second Albuquerque warning at 220 PM MDT covers west-central Santa Fe County until 515 PM MDT. Midland/Odessa continues a Flood Watch through this evening for portions of southeast New Mexico — Central Lea, Eddy County Plains, Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County, Northern Lea — and southwest Texas including the Davis and Guadalupe Mountains, Marfa Plateau, Presidio Valley, and the Van Horn corridor. Albuquerque also continues a Flood Watch until midnight MDT for east-central and southeast New Mexico, including Curry, Roosevelt, Chaves, Quay, De Baca, eastern Lincoln, and the south-central mountains.

Hotspot 1 — Cibola and Santa Fe Counties, New Mexico

This is the live afternoon ticket. Albuquerque’s Cibola warning is radar-indicated heavy rain on already sensitive ground, with life-threatening flash-flood language on creeks, urban areas, and I-40. The Santa Fe County warning is the same pattern a county east: up to an inch already, more possible through mid-afternoon. These are not the overnight Eddy–Chaves–Otero warnings from the morning desk. Those expired. This is a new pulse on the west-central and north-central New Mexico side of the same moisture plume.

Restoration read: water first. Do not treat I-40 between Grants and Albuquerque as a clean haul if the Cibola warning is still live. Photograph high-water marks after the product expires. Extraction and drying on structures that took this afternoon’s pulse start the same 24–48 hour mold clock as last night’s Pecos Valley work. Turn around, don’t drown on pueblo and canyon crossings.

Hotspot 2 — Southeast New Mexico into West Texas (Flood Watch)

WPC keeps the Slight Risk from southeastern New Mexico to the southern Panhandle and south into parts of West Texas where 3-hour flash-flood guidance is under an inch. Midland’s Flood Watch through this evening names Artesia, Carlsbad, Hobbs, Lovington, Alpine, Marfa, Fort Davis, Van Horn, and Presidio. Guidance had morning storms diminishing as the shortwave lifted northeast, then allowed localized 1–2 inch amounts later in the day on wet soils. Gaines County, Texas, took a morning flash-flood warning from Midland at 734 AM CDT until 1030 AM CDT for Seminole and Seagraves; that product is expired and belongs in the just-hit column.

Restoration read: leftover water from Thursday night plus any new cells on the watch. Stage pumps where last night’s warnings sat — Eddy, Chaves, Otero, El Paso, Hudspeth — and keep an eye on Lea County and the Davis Mountains if afternoon storms fire. This is still not a wind event.

Hotspot 3 — Western Oklahoma scatter and the central Plains rain axis

SPC’s 20Z discussion notes isolated thunderstorm development across western Oklahoma as of 1945 UTC, with cloud cover still tempering surface heating. A stronger gust or two remains possible where a cell finds a pocket of better heating, but the overall severe risk is limited. That is why there is still no categorical severe area and no watch. Farther north, WPC notes that shortwave energy and tropical-origin moisture lifting out of the Southwest can support efficient rainfall tonight near the central Kansas–Nebraska border northeast toward the northern Nebraska–Iowa border, with some guidance showing more than 2 inches. Instability stays weak. Treat that as isolated runoff, not a Moderate flood upgrade.

Restoration read: western Oklahoma is lightning and a possible isolated gust. Kansas–Nebraska–Iowa is a Saturday-morning check on poor-drainage and low crossings if the overnight rain verifies, not a Friday afternoon extract pile.

Just hit

SPC today’s storm reports for the 1200 UTC September 25 through 1159 UTC September 26 window show no tornado reports, no hail reports, and no wind reports as of this afternoon desk. That is a Quiet Pulse on the severe board.

The work that already happened is water. Overnight flash-flood warnings from Midland, Albuquerque, and El Paso/Santa Teresa covered northwestern Eddy County, southwestern Chaves County, and central Otero County in New Mexico, plus east-central El Paso and west-central Hudspeth Counties in Texas, where 2 to 3 inches had already fallen before dawn. Those products expired this morning. Midland’s Gaines County warning this morning for Seminole and Seagraves also expired. Survey and extraction replace that overlay. Thursday’s 60 mph wind report at Memphis in Hall County, Texas, remains yesterday’s High Plains Marginal, not a new Friday LSR.

Pulse table

What this means for restoration teams

Friday afternoon is a Quiet Pulse on the severe side and a water desk in New Mexico. The live work is Cibola and Santa Fe Counties while those warnings are up, plus extraction on last night’s Eddy–Chaves–Otero–El Paso–Hudspeth pile. Interior water starts a 24–48 hour mold clock. Photograph in daylight if it is safe. Do not drive flooded crossings in the pueblos, the Sacramento Mountains, or the Pecos Valley.

Western Oklahoma and West Texas may still fire isolated strong cells before sunset. Staff that as local lightning and a possible isolated gust, not a regional wind swath. The Kansas–Nebraska rain axis is a Saturday morning check. Hurricane Nolo remains a Hawaii County flood-and-wind desk. Fay and Gonzalo in the Atlantic and Polo and Odalys in the eastern Pacific are not U.S. mainland landfalls this afternoon. Do not mix those crew maps with the New Mexico water pile.

What this is not

This is not a regional derecho and not a U.S. mainland hurricane landfall. SPC has no Day 1 severe area. No convective watch is up. No mesoscale discussion is up. Today’s LSR board is empty. Thursday’s Moderate flood risk over southeast New Mexico remains stepped down to a Slight. The work this afternoon is leftover water plus two live Albuquerque flash-flood warnings. That is the local-storm pattern this desk should staff.

Looking ahead

The SPC Day 2 Convective Outlook, issued 1226 PM CDT Friday and valid 261200Z–271200Z Saturday, carries a Marginal Risk of severe thunderstorms late Saturday afternoon and evening from northwest Texas into central Kansas. Summary: isolated hail and strong outflow winds may accompany thunderstorms across portions of the central and southern Plains Saturday. Day 3 Sunday has no severe thunderstorm areas. WPC Day 2 steps the Northeast up to a Slight excessive-rainfall risk Saturday as a nor’easter deepens east of New Jersey, with 1–3 inches possible from the northern Mid-Atlantic into southern New England. That is Saturday’s overlay, not tonight’s New Mexico ticket.

Sources and how to verify

Primary sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook for Friday, September 25, 2026 (issued 0251 PM CDT); SPC current watch page (no watches valid as of 1804 UTC; last issued Watch 674); SPC mesoscale discussion page (none in effect as of 2010 UTC); SPC storm reports for 1200 UTC September 25 through 1159 UTC September 26 (no tornado, hail, or wind reports at this desk); Weather Prediction Center Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook discussion; National Weather Service Albuquerque flash-flood warnings for Cibola County (135 PM MDT) and Santa Fe County (220 PM MDT); NWS Midland/Odessa Flood Watch and Gaines County flash-flood warning text; NWS Albuquerque Flood Watch; SPC Day 2 Convective Outlook issued 1226 PM CDT Friday.

Check weather.gov for the county warning, spc.noaa.gov for the outlook, watch, and LSRs, and WPC excessive rainfall for the flood overlay. Morning desk: Friday morning, September 25 storm updates.

Informational only — not an official weather warning. Follow local authorities and the National Weather Service. Turn around, don’t drown.