A complex of severe thunderstorms over the Lovington vicinity late on the 9th resulted in numerous reports of large hail and flash flooding.
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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 episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.
A complex of severe thunderstorms over the Lovington vicinity late on the 9th resulted in numerous reports of large hail and flash flooding.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 9, 12:00 PM MST, 7 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 200 PM CDT SUN MAY 9 2004 .SHORT TERM... A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVE TROUGHS...ONE NEAR EL PASO...THE OTHER OVER CHIHUAHUA ARE EXPECTED TO TRANSLATE EAST INTO THE CWA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT. THE MID LEVEL SUPPORT AHEAD OF THESE WAVES...ALONG WITH AN INCREASING LOW LEVEL JET...APPEARS SUFFICIENT TO AID TSRA IN MOVING FURTHER EAST OVER THE PLAINS TONIGHT. THEREFORE...WILL ADD POPS TO PORTIONS OF THE PLAINS FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AS WITH THE STORMS YESTERDAY AND THE DAY BEFORE...WEAK WINDS ALOFT SHOULD PRECLUDE MANY SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HOWEVER...A COUPLE OF STORMS COULD ORGANIZE SUFFICIENTLY TO YIELD MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL OR WINDS...BUT MAINLY BEFORE 10/02Z. THE LOW LEVEL JET WILL AGAIN PUSH MOISTURE BACK WEST TO THE SURFACE TROUGH AXIS SITUATED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. EXPECTING ANOTHER ROUND OF LOW CLOUDS TO DEVELOP ON SAME...GENERALLY EAST OF THE PECOS RIVER. MIN TEMPERATURES IN GRIDS LOOKED PRETTY GOOD...SO ONLY TWEAKED A FEW. OTHERWISE...GRIDS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. .LONG TERM... LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH SHORTWAVE TROUGHS EVIDENT IN SATELLITE DATA TODAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS CENTRAL CHIHUAHUA AND NOW JUST SOUTH OF THE BIG BEND AREA. THESE SHORTWAVES AND ASSOCIATED ENERGY WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT OUR AREA THROUGH MONDAY. WITH CONTINUED MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY IN THE LOWER LEVELS...WILL KEEP GENERALLY SLIGHT CHANCE AND ISOLATED POPS GOING OVER MUCH OF THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON. WILL ALSO RETAIN THE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS OVER THE PERMIAN BASIN...WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS FOR TUESDAY. DRYLINE SHOULD START SHARPENING UP BY THEN AND BEGIN MAKING PROGRESS FURTHER EAST THAN LATELY. THIS SHOULD PROVIDE A MORE LEGITIMATE FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR CONVECTION TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS THE SHORTWAVE MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST. HEIGHT GRADIENTS ALOFT ALSO BEGIN TO TIGHTEN VERY SLIGHTLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON WHICH MAY PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DYNAMIC SUPPORT FOR MORE ORGANIZED CONVECTION. WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD OFF GETTING TOO SPECIFIC HOWEVER. HEIGHT GRADIENTS WILL BE SHARPENING DUE TO A DEEPENING TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN U.S. TWO SHORTWAVES WILL COMBINE TO DEEPEN THE WESTERN TROUGH. ONE NOW OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST WILL MOVE INLAND OVER NORTHERN CA TONIGHT. THE SECOND SHORTWAVE NOW OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL DIVE SOUTH ALONG THE WESTERN CANADIAN COAST AND FURTHER DEEPEN THE TROUGH WHILE KICKING THE FIRST SHORTWAVE EAST. AS THE LEE TROUGH IS SUSTAINED THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK BY INCREASING FLOW ALOFT...SIGNIFICANT SFC MOISTURE WILL STRUGGLE TO MAKE IT BACK WEST OF THE PERMIAN BASIN AREA EACH DAY DUE TO STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY LOW- LEVEL FLOW. FOR THIS REASON WILL KEEP THE MAINLY DRY FORECAST GOING. MAY ADD IN ISOLATED POPS FOR WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS...LOWER TRANS PECOS OR EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN LATER IN THE WEEK. WITH TIMING OF SHORTWAVES AND/OR DYNAMIC SUPPORT QUESTIONABLE AS FAR OUT AS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...PLACEMENT OF PRECIP ALSO QUESTIONABLE... ESPECIALLY WITH THE DRIER TREND OF THE MODELS THIS PERIOD. MADE ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BIG SPRING TX 64 88 64 87 / 20 10 20 20 CARLSBAD NM 61 92 62 90 / 20 20 20 10 DRYDEN TX 65 84 65 89 / 20 30 20 20 FORT STOCKTON TX 64 90 66 90 / 30 30 20 20 GUADALUPE PASS TX 60 86 64 84 / 10 20 10 10 HOBBS NM 61 89 62 88 / 20 20 20 20 MARFA TX 53 82 54 85 / 30 30 10 20 MIDLAND INTL AIRPORT TX 65 88 65 87 / 20 20 20 20 ODESSA TX 63 88 64 87 / 20 20 20 20 WINK TX 67 96 65 97 / 30 20 20 20 && .MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. NM...NONE. && 67/20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 230 PM CDT SUN MAY 9 2004 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-100930- ANDREWS-BIG BEND AREA-BORDEN-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-CRANE- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA-DAWSON-ECTOR-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS-GAINES- GLASSCOCK-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY- HOWARD-LOVING-MARFA PLATEAU-MARTIN-MIDLAND-MITCHELL- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-REAGAN- REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS-SCURRY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY- TERRELL-UPTON-VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR-WARD-WINKLER- 230 PM CDT (130 PM MDT) SUN MAY 9 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ROUGHLY ALONG AND WEST OF THE PECOS RIVER BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...THEN SPREADING OR DEVELOPING EAST INTO THE SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS... PERMIAN BASIN...AND LOWER TRANS PECOS OVERNIGHT. CONDITIONS ARE NOT CONDUCIVE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP...BUT A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD STRENGTHEN ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
823 PM CDT SUN MAY 09 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0648 PM HAIL PECOS 31.41N 103.50W
05/09/2004 1.00 INCH REEVES TX EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
72The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 155 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:18 UTC.
2 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A severe thunderstorm affected the city of Lovington and produced large hail that ranged from dime to golfball size. Although numerous reports of large hail were received, no damage was reported.
Extensive flash flooding was reported in the vicinity of Lovington. Numerous roadways and highways were reported to be under water. Over one foot of water flowed over State Highway 133 southeast of Lovington near the community of Knowles. U.S. Highway 82 was closed between mile markers 181 and 184 northeast of Lovington. High water flowing in some city streets resulted in at least one stranded vehicle, and required the Lovington Fire Department to conduct a high water rescue. No injuries were reported.
A second severe thunderstorm intensified over the city of Lovington and resulted in another round of golfball size hail.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, May 2004
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: 5394541, 5394543, 5394542.