NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jal, 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 Jal, New Mexico since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1942. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 27
- 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 Jal
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Jal; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1942, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. Jal 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 27 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 7 times; the most recent, on May 15, 1995, came within 19 miles. Of the 27, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on November 2, 2024. Jal has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 94 New Mexico cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1963, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Jal has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 94 New Mexico cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jal
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 9 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 Jal: 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 Jal
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s1
- 1990s6
- 1980s10
- 1960s2
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1995 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1989 | F1 | 7 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1988 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1988 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1987 | F1 | 18 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 10, 1969 | F1 | 6 mi | 19.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 17, 1954 | F1 | 3 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2014 | EF0 | 11 mi | 3.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1999 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 27, 1998 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 1994 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1992 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jal
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Jal since 1963, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 24, 1992. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jal
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jal, NM, 7 miles southeast of Jal at 3,054 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 27°F. September is the wettest at 2.2 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 12.4 inches over 20 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 125 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 12.4 inches is more than at 30 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (52%). Eunice, 17 miles north, has its own station (Hobbs 13W, NM): 14.8 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 27 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 65 | 31 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 72 | 38 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 82 | 47 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.0 |
| May | 89 | 56 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 95 | 65 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 96 | 68 | 2.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 95 | 67 | 1.3 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 59 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 80 | 47 | 1.3 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 69 | 37 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 60 | 28 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.5 |
| Year | 79 | 48 | 12.4 | 20 | 1.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jal, NM (3,054 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 Jal
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 16 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jal: 12 thunderstorm wind reports and 4 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 14, 2009.
June 14, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Jal — $800,000 damage.
NWS: “The most extensive damage during this event was confined to the eastern portions Jal, NM with the most notable damage along State Highway 128 in the vicinity of the Lea County/Jal Airport. At this location, a small single engine plane was flipped over.”
July 30, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Jal — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A thunderstorm moved across Lea County and produced wind damage near Jal. A downburst from the thunderstorm caused hangers at the Jal airport to be destroyed.”
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 Jal, 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 Jal
- Eunice, NM17 mi
- Kermit, TX26 mi
- Hobbs, NM37 mi
- Andrews, TX42 mi
- Seminole, TX48 mi
- Monahans, TX48 mi
- Lovington, NM50 mi
- Gardendale, TX55 mi
- Odessa, TX57 mi
- Pecos, TX57 mi
- Denver City, TX60 mi
- Carlsbad, NM62 mi
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