Hail, Lea
- When
- July 5, 7:20 PM MST
- Where
- Lea County, 3 mi N of Tatum
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.300, -103.320
Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, July 5, 1997
Thunderstorms formed in northern Lea County along a synoptic scale outflow boundary that extended from NW-SE. The southern end of a multicell complex became organized and formed into an HP supercell.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Events
- 3
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.
Thunderstorms formed in northern Lea County along a synoptic scale outflow boundary that extended from NW-SE. The southern end of a multicell complex became organized and formed into an HP supercell. The mesocyclone passed directly over the McDonald community. At maximum heating temperatures were near 90 degrees with dew points in the upper 50s.
The radar
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:22 UTC.
Event by event
2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Lea
- When
- July 5, 7:25 PM MST
- Where
- Lea County, Tatum
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 33.250, -103.320
Outflow winds from the forward flank of an HP supercell uprooted trees, blew over or removed roofs from sheds, and downed power poles.
Hail, Lea
- When
- July 5, 7:50 PM MST
- Where
- Lea County, 5 mi E of Mc Donald
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 33.130, -103.230
Golfball hail destroyed corn on a dairy farm.
What these are
- 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
- High Wind in Florida, July 5, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Kansas, July 5 to 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, July 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, July 5, 1997
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, July 5, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in Washington, July 5 to 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, July 5 to 16, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, July 5, 1997
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Nebraska, July 5, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, July 5, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Washington, July 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, July 5, 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: 5610890, 5610993, 5610994.