Another round of dangerous severe weather will shift eastward and develop over New Mexico on Friday afternoon, October 23, after storms triggered flash flooding and evacuations across parts of the Four Corners region on Thursday, FOX Weather reported on Friday morning. The severe storms will move away from Arizona and Utah, giving both states a break, as an upper-level low shifts east into New Mexico.
Source: FOX Weather — Severe weather threat shifts into New Mexico after rare Tornado Watch, Oct. 23, 2026
A Level 2 out of 5 severe weather threat covers much of central New Mexico, with large, damaging hail as the primary concern; damaging wind gusts are also expected and a few tornadoes are possible, FOX Weather said. The National Weather Service office in Albuquerque, in its Friday morning forecast discussion, said showers and storms are expected mainly from the Continental Divide eastward on Friday, with wind shear and instability able to support severe storms during the afternoon and evening — large hail and damaging winds the main threats, with an isolated tornado or two not ruled out. Storm coverage on Friday also cited the Storm Prediction Center outlook for storms firing over northern New Mexico and southern Colorado by early afternoon and continuing in waves into the night, with the biggest hailstones more likely farther south around Las Cruces and El Paso.
Flood risk rides on already-soaked ground
A Level 2 out of 4 flash flood risk covers parts of southern New Mexico and West Texas on Friday, while a broader Level 1 risk covers much of the rest of New Mexico, including Albuquerque and Santa Fe, FOX Weather said. The NWS Albuquerque discussion warned that substantial Thursday rainfall from Mount Taylor toward the Jemez and San Juan mountains means even moderate additional rain could cause rapid runoff, and that river flooding is continuing in parts of northwest New Mexico.
The Friday round follows an exceptional week for the Southwest. Arizona was placed under Tornado Watches on both Wednesday and Thursday — the first Tornado Watches issued in the state since 2010 — and a Tornado Watch was issued in New Mexico for the first time since 1998, FOX Weather reported. Flash flooding struck parts of Utah again on Thursday, including the town of Hurricane, where residents living near Gould Wash were ordered to evacuate immediately. In northern Arizona, the Moenkopi Wash near Tuba City reached a record-high 32.48 feet by Thursday evening, nearly 3 feet above the previous record of 29.79 feet, and National Weather Service crews were set to survey damage from a suspected tornado that struck Heber, Arizona, where fire officials said one person was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Source: FOX Weather — Severe weather threat shifts into New Mexico after rare Tornado Watch, Oct. 23, 2026
Friday's storms are forecast to fire from early afternoon into the night across northern and central New Mexico, with the largest hail risk farther south around Las Cruces and El Paso — a stretch that includes I-25 and I-10 trucking corridors. Forecasters advise never driving through flooded roadways, especially over burn-scar and already-saturated ground where runoff can rise fast.
What is solid
- A Level 2 of 5 severe threat covers much of central New Mexico on Friday with large hail the primary concern, and a Level 2 of 4 flash flood risk covers southern New Mexico and West Texas — reported by FOX Weather on October 23 and consistent with the NWS Albuquerque forecast discussion issued early Friday.
- Arizona's Tornado Watches this week were its first since 2010, and New Mexico's Tornado Watch was its first since 1998 (FOX Weather).
What is only claimed
- A tornado touchdown at Heber, Arizona, remains suspected, not confirmed — FOX Weather says NWS crews will survey the damage; one person was reported hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries by fire officials.
- Friday's severe and flood outlooks are forecasts for this afternoon and evening; which towns see the largest hail or flooding will only be known as the storms develop.