Lightning Strike in New Mexico, August 12, 1997

Name: Lightning Strike in New Mexico, August 12, 1997
Start: 1997-08-12T19:30
End: 1997-08-12T19:30
Location: New Mexico

August 12, 1997 · NWS MAF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

The radar

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Lea

When: August 12, 7:30 PM MST
Where: Lea County, 7 mi NNW of Hobbs
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 32.792, -103.412 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck the chimney of a house north of Hobbs and caused damage to both the interior and exterior of the house. One side of the upper portion of the chimney was blown off as the bolt struck there. The bolt also travelled along the inside of the chimney and blew out the front of the fireplace sending soot and ashes into the living room. With the lightning never connecting to any utility lines, the power and telephone service were never interrupted.

What these are

Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, August 1997

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: 5622606.