Eddy County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 1,066 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 51.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #120 nationally and #1 in New Mexico.
1,066
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
47
Direct injuries
$21.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Eddy County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Eddy County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 15.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 316 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 94 events fall before 1990 and 972 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Eddy County, New Mexico record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $13.1M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Eddy County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 547 | 1 | $13.1M | 4.25 | 1961–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 218 | 2 | $2.0M | 87 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 217 | 2 | $3.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 59 | 0 | $3.3M | F2 | 1959–2019 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $310K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 1999–2004 |
Decade by decade
Eddy County, New Mexico severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
57 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 57 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 21 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Eddy County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 1992 | Hail | 1 | 3 | $0 | |
| Mar 11, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 30, 2021 | Flash Flood | CARLSBAD | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Sep 19, 2014 | Flash Flood | WHITES CITY | 1 | 0 | $40K |
| Apr 16, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 1, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 21 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 8, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jun 2, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain fell across Eddy County and produced flash flooding near Whites City. Two vehicles were washed off of Whites City Road about 0.9 miles east northeast of Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center. The two vehicles were trying to cross a low lying section of the road when the flood waters caused the vehicles to lose control. The driver of the first vehicle was able to get out of the vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle swam to safety. The passenger of the second vehicle was reported missing and the body was later found. This flooding resulted in one fatality. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
Significant hail damage was observed at car dealerships located north of Church Street in Carlsbad. Although there were specific reports of roof damage, an exact number of homes impacted could not be established and this portion of the property damage was roughly estimated.
Dime-size hail was first reported by the New Mexico State Police. Shortly afterward, a SKYWARN spotter reported golf ball-size hail that pounded much of Artesia. Numerous cars had broken windshields and large dents in their bodies, and roofs of houses received heavy damage as well.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
61,105
Population (ACS)
$213K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 29, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 29, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 2, 2006 | Fire | SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Carlsbad 402
- Artesia 133
- Lakewood 127
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Eddy County, New Mexico?
1,066 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $21.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Eddy County?
Hail, with 547 recorded events — 51.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Eddy County?
57 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 57 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Eddy County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Eddy County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Eddy County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Eddy County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Eddy County, New Mexico severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Doña Ana County 357
- Grant County 171
- De Baca County 246
- Guadalupe County 248
- Curry County 655
- Harding County 186
Cite this page
“Eddy County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/eddy-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.