Hail, Eddy
- When
- May 6, 3:03 PM MST
- Where
- Eddy County, 23 mi W of Carlsbad
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.420, -104.630
Tornado and Hail in New Mexico, May 6, 1997
With temperatures in the lower 90s in dew points in the upper 50s to lower 60s there was plenty of buoyant energy for thunderstorm development in southeast New Mexico. Also an old frontal boundary was in the area to help focus the activity.
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
- $60,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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.
With temperatures in the lower 90s in dew points in the upper 50s to lower 60s there was plenty of buoyant energy for thunderstorm development in southeast New Mexico. Also an old frontal boundary was in the area to help focus the activity. Storms moved to the ESE and making for good relative inflow.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Eddy
- When
- May 6, 3:37 PM MST
- Where
- Eddy County, 5 mi N of Whites City
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.230, -104.370
Thunderstorm Wind, Eddy
- When
- May 6, 4:05 PM MST
- Where
- Eddy County, (Cnm)carlsbad Arpt
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 32.330, -104.270
Carlsbad airport observer reported 70 mph winds.
Hail, Lea
- When
- May 6, 4:27 PM MST
- Where
- Lea County, Lovington
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.930, -103.350
Hail, Eddy
- When
- May 6, 4:59 PM MST
- Where
- Eddy County, Carlsbad
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.420, -104.230
Hail, Lea
- When
- May 6, 5:10 PM MST
- Where
- Lea County, 3 mi N of Hobbs
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.750, -103.130
Tornado, Lea
- When
- May 6, 6:09 PM MST to 6:13 PM MST
- Where
- Lea County, Hobbs to 7 mi NNW of Hobbs
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 1 mi
- Path width
- 200 yd
- Property damage
- $60,000
- Coordinates
- 32.800, -103.180
A strong mesocyclone on the leading edge of the severe thunderstorm moving to the ESE produced a tornado on the southeast flank of the storm. This storm displayed some characteristics of an HP supercell, but with much of the forward flank missing.Damage ranged from F0 on the southern end (probably from an RFD) to F1 damage in the heart of the tornado path. A damage survey discovered a highly convergent pattern to the debris path of the tornado. Damage ranged from travel trailers overturned, to mobile homes pushed from foundation and roof sections missing, to a barn that was levelled and unrecognizable.
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.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Wind in New Jersey, May 6, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 6, 1997
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, May 6, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, May 6 to 27, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 6, 1997
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New York, May 6, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, May 6, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 6, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, May 6, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New York, May 6, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 6, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, May 6, 1997
More
Every storm in New Mexico in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for New Mexico, 1997Warnings in New Mexico, May 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: 5612765, 5612766, 5612767, 5612768, 5612769, 5612770, 5612771.