NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Artesia, NM
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Artesia, New Mexico since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1942. Since 1950, 38 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 38
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Artesia
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Artesia; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1942, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. Artesia is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 94 New Mexico cities on this site. The highest rating among the 38 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 12, 2019, came within 15 miles. Of the 38, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2024. Artesia has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 89% of the 94 New Mexico cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 108 times since 1963, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Artesia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 94 New Mexico cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Artesia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Artesia: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Artesia
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5
- 2000s3
- 1990s15
- 1980s5
- 1970s3
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2019 | EF2 | 15 mi | 15.19 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 30, 1976 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 10, 1989 | F1 | 4 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1979 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1965 | F1 | 7 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF0 | 21 mi | 1.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2019 | EF0 | 24 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2016 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 15, 2016 | EF0 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 2010 | EF0 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 26, 2007 | EF0 | 19 mi | 5.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2007 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 38, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Artesia
The Storm Prediction Center has 108 hail reports within 10 miles of Artesia since 1963, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 87 were 1 inch across or larger, and 16 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 8, 2014. The most recent report is from November 2, 2024. June has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Artesia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Artesia 6S, NM, 3 miles south of Artesia at 3,366 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 23°F. September is the wettest at 1.9 inches of precipitation on average and February and March the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 12.1 inches over 26 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 109 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 12.1 inches is more than at 28 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (48%). Hagerman, 19 miles north, has its own station (Roswell Ind Air Pk, NM): 11.8 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 97°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 23 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.4 |
| Feb | 63 | 27 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 71 | 35 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 79 | 42 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.0 |
| May | 87 | 52 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 95 | 62 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 95 | 66 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 64 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 57 | 1.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 44 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 66 | 32 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 57 | 24 | 0.6 | 2 | 1.2 |
| Year | 77 | 44 | 12.1 | 26 | 3.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Artesia 6S, NM (3,366 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Artesia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 66 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Artesia: 36 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $286,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 8, 2017. September has had the most flash floods, 14 of 27. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 74 have had fewer than Artesia.
May 2, 2007: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Artesia — 1 injured.
NWS: “At least seven inches of water was flowing over the roads in Artesia. The city closed low water crossings across Eagle Draw because of flooding across these crossings.”
June 6, 2010: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Artesia — $180,000 damage.
NWS: “Several side roll irrigation sprinklers were destroyed by a strong wind gust in Atoka, NM. The time of this report was estimated according to radar and another wind gust recorded by the Artesia ASOS.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Artesia's ZIP code 88210 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $30,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 25 New Mexico cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 1 have fewer than Artesia.
Eddy County, which includes Artesia, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1984, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 5, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Eddy County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $43.8 million a year, the 8th highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $35.6 million (81%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Artesia
- Hagerman, NM19 mi
- Carlsbad, NM27 mi
- Dexter, NM31 mi
- Roswell, NM44 mi
- Lovington, NM55 mi
- Hobbs, NM71 mi
- Eunice, NM71 mi
- Cloudcroft, NM76 mi
- Jal, NM77 mi
- Ruidoso Downs, NM78 mi
- Mescalero, NM82 mi
- Ruidoso, NM84 mi
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