NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lovington, 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 Lovington, New Mexico since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1942. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 58
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Lovington
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lovington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1942, a tropical storm with 39 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. Lovington is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 94 New Mexico cities on this site. The strongest of the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 17, 1954; its path came within 6 miles. Of the 58, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on March 23, 2007. Lovington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 94 New Mexico cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1967, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Lovington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 94 New Mexico cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lovington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lovington: 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 Lovington
By decade
- 2000s2
- 1990s23
- 1980s10
- 1970s11
- 1960s8
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1954 | F3 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2007 | EF2 | 16 mi | 8.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1991 | F2 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1991 | F2 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 6, 1991 | F2 | 15 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1982 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1972 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1960 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1997 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1995 | F1 | 7 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 10, 1978 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1977 | F1 | 21 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lovington
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Lovington since 1967, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 6, 2005. The most recent report is from April 25, 2025. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lovington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hobbs 13W, NM, 14 miles south of Lovington 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%). Hobbs, 21 miles southeast, has its own station (Hobbs, NM): 13.8 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 94°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 Lovington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lovington: 18 thunderstorm wind reports and 6 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 110 mph, on May 31, 2023. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 25 have had fewer than Lovington.
May 25, 2013: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Lovington — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A thunderstorm moved over Lea County and power lines were knocked down from Lovington to Hobbs along State Highway 18. Wind gusts were estimated to be 60 mph.”
June 11, 1997: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Lovington — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A large warehouse suffered heavy damage from microburst winds. The event was very localized as the manager of the warehouse was in an adjacent building and did not notice any extreme winds.”
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 Lovington, 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 Lovington
- Hobbs, NM21 mi
- Eunice, NM34 mi
- Denver City, TX35 mi
- Seminole, TX43 mi
- Jal, NM50 mi
- Seagraves, TX51 mi
- Hagerman, NM53 mi
- Artesia, NM55 mi
- Dexter, NM57 mi
- Carlsbad, NM60 mi
- Andrews, TX64 mi
- Brownfield, TX69 mi
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