Alert archive / New Mexico / Tornado Warnings in 2025

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

April 26, 2025Lea County, New Mexico

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 26, 2025, 7:22 PM MDT for Lea County, New Mexico. It was in force for 38 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Apr 26, 2025, 7:22 PM MDT (01:22 UTC)
Expired: Apr 26, 2025, 8:00 PM MDT
In force: 38 min
Issued by: NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.75 in

County Lea County, NM

The radar

The Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 139 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:26 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 26, 2:48 PM MDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 207 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 1684 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1159 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 202 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.4
Supercell composite: 10.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

265 
WFUS54 KMAF 270122
TORMAF
NMC025-270200-
/O.NEW.KMAF.TO.W.0004.250427T0122Z-250427T0200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
722 PM MDT Sat Apr 26 2025

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Lea County in southeastern New Mexico...

* Until 800 PM MDT.

* At 721 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Caprock, or 26 miles northwest of Tatum, moving
  southeast at 20 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and golf ball size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* This dangerous storm will be near...
  Caprock around 725 PM MDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3346 10336 3309 10356 3332 10377 3340 10377
      3340 10372 3357 10372
TIME...MOT...LOC 0121Z 303DEG 18KT 3341 10373 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.75 IN

$$

10

1 follow-up statement

913 
WWUS54 KMAF 270141
SVSMAF

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
741 PM MDT Sat Apr 26 2025

NMC025-270200-
/O.CON.KMAF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-250427T0200Z/
Lea NM-
741 PM MDT Sat Apr 26 2025

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM MDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN LEA COUNTY...

At 740 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Caprock, or 22 miles northwest of Tatum, moving
southeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and ping pong ball size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely.

This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
northwestern Lea County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3346 10336 3309 10356 3332 10377 3340 10377
      3340 10372 3353 10371
TIME...MOT...LOC 0140Z 301DEG 16KT 3338 10367 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.50 IN

$$

10

The office that day

Everything else NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 26, 6:21 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MAF	Lea	54 min
Apr 26, 8:03 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	MAF	Lea	57 min
Apr 26, 8:53 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	MAF	Lea	67 min
Apr 26, 9:42 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MAF	Eddy	49 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in New Mexico, 2025 Every tornado warning in 2025 Tornadoes in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.