Storm transforms NM village into ‘large lake’
WILLARD, N.M. (AP) — A powerful storm on Wednesday battered a tiny village in central New Mexico for several hours that caused severe flash flooding and trapped dozens of vehicles in fast-moving water. The National Weather Service says the storm unleashed a curtain of rain and lime-sized hail for three straight hours over Willard outside of Albuquerque. The storm happened while a pair of deadly wildfires raged on farther south in the mountain village of Ruidoso. Forecasters say the severe weather is emblematic of this time of year when the state’s wildfire and monsoon seasons overlap.