Evening downpour floods parts of city

link Staff photo: Tony Bullocks

The intersection of Prince and Seventh streets flooded from Monday evening’s rapid rainfall.

Clovis endured a drenching downpour Monday evening as about three inches of rain fell, flooding the city from Llano Estacado to 7th Street and beyond.

“Pretty much all of Clovis is flooded at this point,” said Paul Nelson with the city’s Emergency Management department around 6:30 p.m. Monday. “We're getting reports from all over the area and the county around Clovis.”

Flooded areas include Dennis Chavez, the intersection of Seventh Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, 21st Street between Thorton Street and the western city limits, Nelson said, and Greene Acres Park had already flooded over Main Street.

Earlier Monday evening, a tornado warning was issued for Curry County. However, Emergency Management Director Dan Heerding said citywide sirens were not sounded because the storm was north of town, heading away from Clovis and did not pose a threat to the city.

“There is a possibility at least for the net 24 hours for mostly just severe thunderstorms,” Heerding said Monday evening. “Always with these events there's the possibility of a tornado, but we're hoping it's nothing more than a lot of rain and maybe some thunderstorms.”

Anderson said the warning came from a meteorologist spotting a “classic tornado look,” on radar northeast of Clovis for a total of 12 minutes, but no touchdowns were reported.

According to Clovis Police Chief Steve Sanders, heavy flooding occurred between Llano Estacado and 21st Street on Norris, the intersection of Grand and Seventh Street, and 21st Street around Greene Acres Lake and the Sycamore area.

“The problem is most of our city streets act as conduits to our water draining system,” Sanders said. “Most all of those streets somewhere get major water in them.”

Nelson said Clovis Public Works Department set up barricades where necessary.

According to National Weather Service meteorologist Clay Anderson, Cannon Air Force Base reported around 6 p.m. — the height of the storm— that they had 3.13 inches of rain, and it was still pouring.

Anderson said a flash flood warning was in effect for the area until 9 p.m. Monday, and a flash flood watch is in effect through today.

The area may have received record downfalls Monday, Anderson said.

“I would imagine so, yeah, with almost certainty,” Anderson said, but didn't know for certain at print time.

“By midnight tonight it's certainly possible that the Air Force Base tallies five inches, and Clovis in town, around 3 inches possibly,” Anderson said.