NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Eunice, 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 Eunice, New Mexico since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1942. Since 1950, 55 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 55
- 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 Eunice
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Eunice; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1942, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. Eunice 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 55 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on June 6, 1991, came within 13 miles. Of the 55, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on November 2, 2024. Eunice has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 94% of the 94 New Mexico cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1987, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Eunice has more hail reports within 10 miles than 70% of the 94 New Mexico cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Eunice
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 25 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 Eunice: 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 Eunice
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s2
- 1990s18
- 1980s18
- 1970s2
- 1960s5
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 1991 | F2 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1991 | F2 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 6, 1991 | F2 | 15 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1991 | F2 | 13 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1982 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2012 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1997 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1989 | F1 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1989 | F1 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1988 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1988 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1987 | F1 | 16 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 55, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Eunice
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Eunice since 1987, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on November 2, 2024. The most recent report is from April 23, 2025. April and June have the most reports, 11 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Eunice
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hobbs 13W, NM, 20 miles north of Eunice at 3,836 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 30°F. July is the wettest at 2.5 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 14.8 inches over 27 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 101 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 64 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 14.8 inches is more than at 41 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (71%). Jal, 17 miles south, has its own station (Jal, NM): 12.4 inches a year, 2.4 less than here, and a July average high of 96°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 30 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 63 | 34 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 71 | 40 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 79 | 46 | 0.9 | 1 | 0.0 |
| May | 86 | 56 | 1.3 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 94 | 65 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 68 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 67 | 2.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 61 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 79 | 50 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 66 | 39 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 58 | 31 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.6 |
| Year | 77 | 49 | 14.8 | 27 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hobbs 13W, NM (3,836 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 Eunice
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 14 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Eunice: 11 thunderstorm wind reports and 3 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $309,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on September 11, 2023.
August 8, 2005: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Eunice — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “An oil company reported a rig was blown over three miles west of Eunice and one mile north of New Mexico Highway 176. High winds resulted in guidewires being broken as the rig tipped on its side.”
June 30, 2026: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Eunice — $110,000 damage.
NWS: “Lea County Emergency Management relayed a report of seven power lines down south of Monument on State Highway 8. Power lines were also downed near the intersection of Maddox and Pearl Valley Roads.”
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
Lea County, which includes Eunice, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1992, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 5, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lea County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; 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 $45.2 million a year, the 5th highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.1 million (56%), 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 Eunice
- Jal, NM17 mi
- Hobbs, NM20 mi
- Lovington, NM34 mi
- Seminole, TX35 mi
- Andrews, TX40 mi
- Kermit, TX42 mi
- Denver City, TX43 mi
- Seagraves, TX51 mi
- Gardendale, TX59 mi
- Carlsbad, NM62 mi
- Monahans, TX63 mi
- Odessa, TX64 mi
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