Weather Highlights The summer of 2004 was one of the stormiest in many years across southern New Mexico and far western Texas. From June through September numerous showers and thunderstorms rumbled across the region dumping heavy rain and hail and occasionally producing damaging winds. At least one small tornado was also generated from area thunderstorms. The summer weather pattern included several east-to-west moving or "back door" cold fronts which generated many of the thunderstorms. In addition, a number of upper- level disturbances  moved across the southern Rockies further contributing to the stormy weather. This was in dramatic contrast to the unusually dry  summer of 2003.

On June 24, 2004, thunderstorms produced this small tornado over Santa Teresa N.M. ( Photographed by Charlotte Rogash)

June 2: Hot day across the deserts with El Paso tying a record with a high of 102 degrees. June 3: Two clusters of thunderstorms merge over over Dona Ana County in the Las Cruces area. Widespread hail, including hail the size of golf balls, fall around the city with wind gusts over 60 mph. Almost 3 inches of rain fall at Radium Springs and almost 2 inches of rain fall in 40 minutes just east of Las Cruces causing street flooding. June 17: Severe thunderstorms move across Hudspeth County with nickel-sized hail near Fort Hancock. June 19: Late afternoon and evening thunderstorms drop almost 2 inches of rain over El Paso with widespread street flooding. continued on page 2

On the night of June 27-28, 2004, showers and thunderstorms with heavy rains and numerous cloud-to-ground lightning strikes moved through the El Paso, Texas and Santa Teresa, N.M. area. (Photographed by Mike Hardiman)