Rain closes county roads

Staff report

Curry County on Thursday closed three county roads and declared six others “hazardous” after upwards of 2 inches of rain pummeled the region on Wednesday.

Eastern New Mexico is under a flash flood watch until 8 tonight.

Clovis/Curry County Emergency Management Director Dan Heerding said water also will remain over the road around Dennis Chavez Lake in Clovis for about 48 hours and 14th street in that area will remained closed until it’s clear.

County roads closed on Thursday afternoon were:

• Curry Road 23 from CRH to CRG;

• CRL from CR19 to CR20

• CR12 from CRS to CRT.

The county in a news release said the following roads were hazardous:

• CRC from CR22 to CR23;

• CR10 from CRG to CRF;

• SR241 and CRH

• CR14 from CRK to CRL;

• CRN from CR18 to CR19;

• CR13 from CRN to CRO.

Streets were flooded across Clovis and Portales and even some highways were closed Wednesday night, but water had drained away from most city streets by Thursday morning, at least enough to allow vehicles to pass.

Heerding said no major damage or injuries were reported from the flood, though it appeared one vehicle “missed the little access road and got stuck in that construction area” on Mabry Drive.

“It seems for the most part, we’ve recovered very well,” he said.

About 3/10ths of an inch of rain had fallen in Clovis on Thursday by 3 p.m.

But it was Wednesday’s downpours that caused the flooding.

Ranchvale was hit hardest as 4.08 inches were recorded on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Melrose recorded almost an inch of rain in 15 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The National Weather service reported the following rainfall totals from Wednesday:

• 3.5 inches at a weather station 2 miles northwest of Clovis;

• 2.75 inches in downtown Clovis;

• 2.28 inches at Cannon Air Force Base;

• 2.21 inches in Portales;

• 2.17 inches in Melrose;

• .65 of an inch in Texico.

NWS reports the area will likely see rain again tonight and Friday, but should dry out over the weekend.

“Generally cool, cloudy and showery through (Friday),” said NWS Meteorologist Brian Guyer.

Guyer said the area should be in the mid-80s with minimal chance of rain by Sunday.