Dramatic New Mexico flooding time-lapse videos show power of raging river
Ruidoso officials said the victims were an adult male, a 4-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. They were swept downstream by the historic flooding that occurred in a burn scar area from recent wildfires in New Mexico.
How To Watch Fox Weather
The first time-lapse video (at the top of this story page) provided by the U.s. Geological Survey (USGS) shows the Rio Ruidoso rising fast as torrential rain fell over the region.
The National Weather Service office in Albuquerque said the river reached a provisional crest of 20.24 feet – several feet over the major flood stage of 15 feet.
The river rose 19 feet in just 30 minutes, which was a faster rate than the Guadalupe River rose in Kerrville, Texas, during the deadly flooding event that occurred over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Download The Free Fox Weather App
Another video, captured by Gustavo Montes, shows water rushing downstream during the rare Flash Flood Emergency that was issued for Lincoln County as the disaster began to unfold.
Officials said between 50 and 60 swift water rescues took place, and search and rescue operations are underway for those who may be missing.Original article source: Dramatic New Mexico flooding time-lapse videos show power of raging river
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Timelapse video captures dramatic rise of glacial lakes in Alaska that prompted floods
Timelapse video captured the dramatic increase in water level at a glacial lake near Alaska's capital city of Juneau, which was bracing for flooding after a "glacial outburst" inundated a nearby river. It's the third consecutive year that significant summer glacial flooding has threatened parts of the city of more than 30,000, as authorities warned Wednesday morning, Aug. 13, that the Juneau area would remain in "major flood stage area for several more hours." Scientists say each flood, including the current one, were all due to climate change. Alaska is warming faster than any other state, and its many glaciers are among the fastest melting, or retreating, glaciers on Earth, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Watch: Timelapse video captures dramatic water level increase Video footage captured rising water levels from July into August at Mendenhall Lake and a lake roughly 2.5 miles north of Nugget Creek. 'Glacial outbursts' have become more common in area Glacial lake outburst floods in Mendenhall Valley, where the majority of Juneau resides, have become a yearly occurrence since 2011, NOAA scientists say, as a once ice-covered basin formed from a retreating glacier above the city regularly fills with rain and snowmelt, similar to a lake. In this case, the Mendenhall Glacier north of Juneau acts as an ice dam for the meltwater that fills the basin, named Suicide Basin, but fails each summer amid higher temperatures. It gives way and sends waters that have collected in the Suicide Basin to drain past the glacial dam and empty into Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River, increasingly leading to major flooding. As of the latest updates from the National Weather Service, Mendenhall River levels surpassed what was seen in 2023 and 2024, when a similiar glacial lake outburst flood, or GLOF, events set records and damaged dozens of homes and structures. As of 8:30 a.m. local time, the river stood at 15.92 feet and was falling after reaching 16.65 feet about an hour prior, according to monitors at the National Weather Service. City officials said in a statement that affected areas downriver would remain in major flood stage area for several more hours. City officials said in statements to social media that power has been cut to swaths of the city and said it will be restored once flood waters recede. During the 2023 flood, Mendenhall Lake reached a peak water level of 15 feet, and in 2024, it rose a foot higher to 16 feet. In the 2024 flood, which broke records at the time, scientists with the the University of Alaska and the U.S. Geological Survey said river flow jumped to 42,000 cubic feet per second − a 25% increase − about half the flow rate of Niagara Falls. Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a preemptive disaster declaration on Aug. 10, citing the devastation caused by "glacial outbursts" in 2023 and 2024. Juneau city officials, with federal assistance, installed emergency flood barriers over the past year along more than two miles of riverbanks in areas considered most at risk of overflowing from these glacial lake outburst floods. Although the new barriers are designed to hold back a flood of this potential magnitude, officials asked some residents to evacuate as a precaution. Official updates and resources are available at and mergency preparedness information can be found at Contributing: Trevor Hughes and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; Reuters Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timelapse video shows glacier lakes rise, causing Juneau floods
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Timelapse video captures dramatic rise of glacial lakes in Alaska that prompted floods
Timelapse video captured the dramatic increase in water level at a glacial lake near Alaska's capital city of Juneau, which was bracing for flooding after a "glacial outburst" inundated a nearby river. It's the third consecutive year that significant summer glacial flooding has threatened parts of the city of more than 30,000, as authorities warned Wednesday morning, Aug. 13, that the Juneau area would remain in "major flood stage area for several more hours." Scientists say each flood, including the current one, were all due to climate change. Alaska is warming faster than any other state, and its many glaciers are among the fastest melting, or retreating, glaciers on Earth, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Watch: Timelapse video captures dramatic water level increase Video footage captured rising water levels from July into August at Mendenhall Lake and a lake roughly 2.5 miles north of Nugget Creek. 'Glacial outbursts' have become more common in area Glacial lake outburst floods in Mendenhall Valley, where the majority of Juneau resides, have become a yearly occurrence since 2011, NOAA scientists say, as a once ice-covered basin formed from a retreating glacier above the city regularly fills with rain and snowmelt, similar to a lake. In this case, the Mendenhall Glacier north of Juneau acts as an ice dam for the meltwater that fills the basin, named Suicide Basin, but fails each summer amid higher temperatures. It gives way and sends waters that have collected in the Suicide Basin to drain past the glacial dam and empty into Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River, increasingly leading to major flooding. As of the latest updates from the National Weather Service, Mendenhall River levels surpassed what was seen in 2023 and 2024, when a similiar glacial lake outburst flood, or GLOF, events set records and damaged dozens of homes and structures. As of 8:30 a.m. local time, the river stood at 15.92 feet and was falling after reaching 16.65 feet about an hour prior, according to monitors at the National Weather Service. City officials said in a statement that affected areas downriver would remain in major flood stage area for several more hours. City officials said in statements to social media that power has been cut to swaths of the city and said it will be restored once flood waters recede. During the 2023 flood, Mendenhall Lake reached a peak water level of 15 feet, and in 2024, it rose a foot higher to 16 feet. In the 2024 flood, which broke records at the time, scientists with the the University of Alaska and the U.S. Geological Survey said river flow jumped to 42,000 cubic feet per second − a 25% increase − about half the flow rate of Niagara Falls. Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a preemptive disaster declaration on Aug. 10, citing the devastation caused by "glacial outbursts" in 2023 and 2024. Juneau city officials, with federal assistance, installed emergency flood barriers over the past year along more than two miles of riverbanks in areas considered most at risk of overflowing from these glacial lake outburst floods. Although the new barriers are designed to hold back a flood of this potential magnitude, officials asked some residents to evacuate as a precaution. Official updates and resources are available at and mergency preparedness information can be found at Contributing: Trevor Hughes and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; Reuters Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Floodwaters from a glacier near Alaska's capital city break record levels and prompt evacuations
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The river hit major flood stage at 6 a.m. local time, already surpassing last year's record flood level of nearly 16 feet (5 meters), and was expected to peak at 8 a.m. before flood waters receded throughout the day Thursday, the National Weather Service said. Advertisement Basin flooding is a yearly worry Flooding from the basin has become an annual concern since 2011, and in recent years has swept away houses and swamped hundreds of homes. Government agencies installed temporary barriers this year in hopes of protecting several hundred homes in the inundation area from widespread damage. The flooding happens because a smaller glacier near Mendenhall Glacier retreated — a casualty of the warming climate — and left a basin that fills with rainwater and snowmelt each spring and summer. When the water creates enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam created by the Mendenhall Glacier, enters Mendenhall Lake and eventually flows down the Mendenhall River, as it did Tuesday. Advertisement Before the basin began overtopping, the water level was rising rapidly — as much as 4 feet (1.22 meters) per day during especially sunny or rainy days, according to the National Weather Service. The city saw successive years of record flooding in 2023 and 2024 — with the river last August cresting at 15.99 feet (4.9 meters), about 1 foot (30 centimeters) over the prior record set a year earlier — and flooding extending farther into the Mendenhall Valley. This year's flooding was predicted to crest at between 16.3 and 16.8 feet (4.96 to 5.12 meters). Last year, nearly 300 residences were damaged. A large outburst can release some 15 billion gallons of water, according to the University of Alaska Southeast and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. That's the equivalent of nearly 23,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. During last year's flood, the flow rate in the rushing Mendenhall River was about half that of Niagara Falls, the researchers say. Before the basin began overtopping, the water level was rising rapidly — as much as 4 feet (1.22 meters) per day during especially sunny or rainy days, according to the National Weather Service. Becky Bohrer/Associated Press A temporary levee is installed City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of riverbank in an attempt to guard against widespread flooding. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers are essentially giant sandbags intended to protect more than 460 properties completely during an 18-foot (5.5-meter) flood event, said emergency manager Ryan O'Shaughnessy. Advertisement The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at the start of what's expected to be a yearslong process of studying conditions in the region and examining options for a more permanent solution, such as a levee. The timeline has angered some residents, who say it's unreasonable. Outburst floods are expected to continue as long as the Mendenhall Glacier acts as an ice dam to seal off the basin, which could span another 25 to 60 years, according to the university and science center researchers. Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer in Juneau contributed to this report.
