NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Carlsbad, 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 Carlsbad, New Mexico since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1942. Since 1950, 34 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 34
- 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 Carlsbad
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Carlsbad; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1942, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. Carlsbad 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 34 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 12, 2019, came within 20 miles. Of the 34, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 13. Carlsbad has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 94 New Mexico cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 188 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Carlsbad has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 94 New Mexico cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Carlsbad
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 43 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 Carlsbad: 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 Carlsbad
By decade
- 2010s3
- 2000s5
- 1990s14
- 1980s3
- 1970s3
- 1960s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2019 | EF2 | 20 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1992 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 31, 1991 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Apr 30, 1976 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 11, 1989 | F1 | 16 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1981 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1971 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1959 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2016 | EF0 | 19 mi | 0.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2014 | EF0 | 13 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 26, 2007 | EF0 | 14 mi | 5.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2007 | EF0 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 34, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Carlsbad
The Storm Prediction Center has 188 hail reports within 10 miles of Carlsbad since 1962, made on 107 separate days. Of these, 145 were 1 inch across or larger, and 20 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 10, 1989. The most recent report is from June 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 61.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Carlsbad
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carlsbad Cavern City Airport, NM, 6 miles south of Carlsbad at 3,232 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 69°F; December is the coolest, at 57°F and 30°F. September is the wettest at 2.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 12.2 inches over 24 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 121 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 69 nights a year. That 12.2 inches is more than at 29 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (50%). Artesia, 27 miles north, has its own station (Artesia 6S, NM): 12.1 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 30 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Feb | 63 | 34 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Mar | 71 | 40 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Apr | 80 | 48 | 0.5 | 1 |
| May | 88 | 57 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Jun | 96 | 66 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Jul | 95 | 69 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Aug | 94 | 68 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Sep | 87 | 61 | 2.6 | 3 |
| Oct | 78 | 49 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Nov | 66 | 37 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Dec | 57 | 30 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Year | 78 | 49 | 12.2 | 24 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carlsbad Cavern City Airport, NM (3,232 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 Carlsbad
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 151 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Carlsbad: 80 thunderstorm wind reports, 62 flash floods, 7 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 23, 2013. August has had the most flash floods, 18 of 62. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 87 have had fewer than Carlsbad.
June 29, 2021: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Carlsbad — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain resulted in flash flooding near Carlsbad. Law enforcement officials reported a fatality of a gentleman whose vehicle got swept away by flash flood waters.”
August 12, 2004: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Carlsbad — $700,000 damage.
NWS: “A linear bow-shaped complex of severe storms swept southeast across Eddy County during the late evening of the 12th. These storms resulted in widespread wind damage as they affected Carlsbad, Loving, and Malaga.”
September 22, 2014: flood 4 miles from the centre of Carlsbad — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain fell across Eddy County and produced flash flooding in Carlsbad. Water was into the back of houses on James Street in the Lower Tansil Dam area.”
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 Carlsbad's ZIP code 88220 have filed 36 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2002, and were paid $303,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 18. Of the 25 New Mexico cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 13 have fewer than Carlsbad.
Eddy County, which includes Carlsbad, 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 Carlsbad
- Artesia, NM27 mi
- Hagerman, NM45 mi
- Dexter, NM58 mi
- Lovington, NM60 mi
- Eunice, NM62 mi
- Jal, NM62 mi
- Hobbs, NM69 mi
- Roswell, NM72 mi
- Kermit, TX81 mi
- Pecos, TX84 mi
- Cloudcroft, NM89 mi
- Denver City, TX93 mi
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