No Torrance County road closures reported Tuesday, but flooding hits some rural roads; sandbags available through Wednesday
Emergency manager says crews are watching conditions as the Flood Watch continues.
By now, most Torrance County residents have seen the rain for themselves. Some have also seen what it left behind in the roads. As of Tuesday afternoon, September 22, 2026, no county roads had been officially closed. Torrance County Emergency Manager Samantha O'Dell said, however, that the county was tracking flooding in at least one area. Crews and residents are also preparing with sandbags ahead of a second day under a Flood Watch.
"There's not any true closures, but we do have flooding on Lexco Road and Martinez area," O'Dell said in a phone interview with the Mountainair Dispatch on Tuesday afternoon.
The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a Flood Watch for the Estancia Valley, the Central Highlands, and the Sandia and Manzano Mountains. The watch runs from noon Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon, September 23, 2026.
Where the water is
O'Dell said that, apart from the area she named, the county had not received other reports of significant flooding as of the time of the call. She said reports of flooding around Mountainair were new to her office.
Roughly a foot of standing water was observed on Golf Course Road, north of US 60, outside of Mountainair. The flooding occurred where an arroyo crosses the road. A second road in the Mountainair area, Rocking RL Road, was also crossed by a resurgent arroyo and debris. Torrance County Road Department equipment appeared to be on scene there, using a front-end loader to remove debris.
Where to get sandbags
O'Dell said sandbags are available at the Torrance County Road Department until 8:00 PM MDT Tuesday. Distribution will resume Wednesday morning at 8:00 AM MDT, September 23, 2026, for anyone who needs them. The Town of Estancia is also handing out sandbags to residents, she said.
- Torrance County Road Department: 207 Salt Mission Trail, Estancia, NM 87016. Open until 8:00 PM MDT Tuesday; reopens Wednesday morning at 8:00 AM.
- Town of Estancia: Estancia Public Library, 601 South 10th Street, Estancia, NM 87016.
Why arroyo crossings are the danger zone
Most of the time, the arroyos that cut across Torrance County roads are dry. Because of that, drivers can easily forget that they are drainage channels. During heavy rain, water that falls miles upstream collects in these channels. It can arrive at a road crossing with little warning, sometimes after the rain overhead has already stopped. Rain on hard, dry ground also soaks in slowly, so more of it runs off into the arroyos instead of into the soil.
The depth of the water is only part of the risk. The National Weather Service warns that 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult off their feet, and that 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars. Water over a road can also hide places where the pavement or roadbed has already washed out. The agency's standing advice is "Turn around, don't drown". If water is covering the road, find another route or wait it out.
What comes next
O'Dell said county emergency management staff had just returned from a meeting at the time of the call. She expected to have a fuller picture of countywide conditions between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM MDT Tuesday.
Torrance County residents are also encouraged to sign up for TextMyGov emergency alerts to receive real-time notifications tailored to their needs:
- Text TORRANCE COUNTY to 80946 for general notifications and emergency alerts.
- Text TORRANCE FIRE ALERTS to 80946 for information on prescribed burns or active fires in the area.
- Text TORRANCE NWS to 80946 to receive weather-related alerts.