289
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$811K
Property damage
Hail in Chaves County, New Mexico: 289 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #341 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Chaves County, New Mexico: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Chaves County is the 2010s, when 89 of the county's 289 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Chaves County archive, hail makes up 49.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #341 for this hazard and #8 within New Mexico, putting it in the 89.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for hail in Chaves County with 108 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1994 | 1.75 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 2025 | ROSWELL | 1 | $0 |
| May 27, 2025 | ROSWELL | 1.5 | $5K |
| May 6, 2025 | ROSWELL | 1.5 | $0 |
| May 5, 2025 | LAKE ARTHUR | 0.75 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2025 | ACME | 2.5 | $0 |
| Oct 20, 2024 | (ROW)ROSWELL IND AIRPORT | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 19, 2024 | MESA | 1.5 | $0 |
| Sep 21, 2024 | MESA | 2 | $0 |
| May 11, 2024 | LAKE ARTHUR | 1.75 | $2K |
| May 11, 2024 | LAKE ARTHUR | 1.75 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Chaves County
- Thunderstorm Wind 146
- Flash Flood 60
- Tornado 53
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A lengthy hail storm crushed crops over an 80 square mile area producing damage estimated at $4.4 million to budding cotton, chile peppers, alfalfa, oat, corn, and onion crops. Hail and water damage to Hagerman school facilities was estimated at $100,000.
Multiple sources reported very large hail from a severe thunderstorm in the Dexter area. The largest hailstones reported were 3 inches in diameter which broke numerous windshields along U.S. Highway 285. Damages are estimated for the unknown amount of broken windshields.
Storm chasers and trained spotters reported very large hail ranging from one to three inches from a severe thunderstorm near Midway. The largest hailstones reported were 3 inches along U.S. Highway 285 which broke an unknown number of vehicle windshields. The strong inflow and outflow winds from the thunderstorm also produced low visibility from dust in the area. Damages are estimated for the unknown amount of broken windshields.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Chaves County, New Mexico?
289 hail events are recorded in Chaves County between 1959 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Chaves County?
The strongest hail on record in Chaves County measured 4.5.
Where does the hail data for Chaves County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Hail in Chaves County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/chaves-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.