New Mexico, 1989

Tornadoes and Hail in New Mexico, May 16, 1989

May 16, 1989 · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

2 tornado, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

2 tornado, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Roosevelt

When
May 16, 10:10 AM MST
Where
Roosevelt County
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
34.570, -103.900

Tornado, Quay

When
May 16, 10:14 AM MST
Where
Quay County
Rating
F0
Path length
8 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
34.600, -103.900

Hail, Lea

When
May 16, 10:10 PM CST
Where
Lea County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.700, -103.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Lea

When
May 16, 10:10 PM CST
Where
Lea County
Coordinates
32.930, -103.350

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 1989Every state in 1989This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for New Mexico, 1989Warnings in New Mexico, May 1989

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10074755, 10074756, 10074757, 10074758.