Thunderstorm Wind, Lea
- When
- July 31, 3:20 PM MST
- Where
- Lea County, 1 mi S of Jal
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 32.100, -103.180
Downbursting winds from a thunderstorm knocked down 2 utility poles just south of the Jal city limit.
Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, July 31, 1997
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:21 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Eddy
- When
- July 31, 7:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eddy County, 16 mi E of Otis
- Coordinates
- 32.472, -104.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Slow-moving thunderstorms dropped flooding rains in eastern Eddy County on State Highway 128. Water was running across the roadway near the 6 mile marker.
What these are
- 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.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Texas, July 31, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, July 31, 1997
- Flash Flooding in Nebraska, July 31, 1997
- Waterspout in Florida, July 31, 1997
- High Surf in Hawaii, July 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, July 31, 1997
- Wildfire and Damaging Wind in Idaho, July 31, 1997
- Cold in Georgia, July 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Puerto Rico, July 31, 1997
- Flood in Puerto Rico, July 31, 1997
- Hail in Florida, July 31, 1997
- Flash Flood in Colorado, July 31, 1997
More
Every storm in New Mexico in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, July 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: 5611129, 5611128.