Upper level high pressure was over the Southern Plains, and a surface lee trough was located across eastern New Mexico southward into the eastern slopes of the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains. Hot and moist air leading to good instability was present across southeast New Mexico.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Upper level high pressure was over the Southern Plains, and a surface lee trough was located across eastern New Mexico southward into the eastern slopes of the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains. Hot and moist air leading to good instability was present across southeast New Mexico. These conditions allowed storms to develop in the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains then move into the adjacent plains.
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 Jul 23, 3:31 PM MST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 531 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015 .DISCUSSION... See Aviation Discussion below. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions will prevail next 24 hours under an upper lvl ridge. Isolated convection will be possible, mainly invof wrn terminals. Forecast soundings develop a widespread cu field late morning Fri, w/bases 4-7 kft agl. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 229 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015/ DISCUSSION...As of 2:15 PM CDT Thursday...KMAF radar is showing a few cells over the Davis and Guadalupe Mtns moving north. Otherwise...hot and muggy weather rules across the CWA. The persistent ridge over the Southern Plains will shift a little east the next couple of days as a shortwave moves into the Pacific Northwest. As the shortwave moves into the Northern Plains then into the Eastern US the ridge will shift back west...but will remain the dominant feature for the area. Intense sfc heating along with a sfc trough and mid level thetae ridge along the mtns will lead to isolated afternoon and evening convection over the Davis and Guadalupe Mtns...and the adjacent Plains . With warm mid level temps the main impacts from the convection will be gusty winds and locally heavy rain. Elsewhere...it will mainly be dry with near triple digit high temps through the extended forecast. Another shortwave will move into the Pacific Northwest early next week. This shortwave looks stronger...and as it moves into the Eastern US it could push the center of the ridge into the four corners area by the end of next week. Strobin && .MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && 44
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 133 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-241845- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY-GAINES- DAWSON-BORDEN-SCURRY-ANDREWS-MARTIN-HOWARD-MITCHELL- VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR-REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS- LOVING-WINKLER-ECTOR-MIDLAND-GLASSCOCK-WARD-CRANE-UPTON-REAGAN- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA-PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-MARFA PLATEAU- BIG BEND AREA-TERRELL-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS- 133 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015 /1233 PM MDT THU JUL 23 2015/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST TEXAS AND WEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WITH MORE ISOLATED STORMS POSSIBLE IN THE ADJACENT PLAINS. SOME STORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL, FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THUNDERSTORMS WILL MAINLY DEVELOP IN AND EAR THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 50 MPH, LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN MIDLAND CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT /LOWER CASE/ HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/MIDLAND
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 522 PM MDT THU JUL 23 2015 NMZ029-033-232345- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY NM-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY NM- 522 PM MDT THU JUL 23 2015 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EAST CENTRAL LEA COUNTY UNTIL 545 PM MDT... AT 521 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR KNOWLES...OR 11 MILES EAST OF LOVINGTON...MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH. DIME SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... HOBBS...KNOWLES...HUMBLE CITY...LEA COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT AND INDUSTRIAL AIRPARK. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. && LAT...LON 3265 10307 3269 10334 3309 10331 3309 10307 TIME...MOT...LOC 2321Z 191DEG 13KT 3291 10316
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:36 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A storm moved across Lea County and produced wind damage northwest of Hobbs. A local storm spotter reported building damage and power lines down near the intersection of Bensing and Lawrence Roads. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
A storm moved across Lea County and produced wind damage in and near Hobbs. It was reported that New Mexico Junior College had $30,000 in wind damage from a downburst.
A storm moved across Lea County and produced wind damage in and around Hobbs. A local storm spotter reported power lines down and a mobile home blown over on Jones Road. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New Mexico in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, July 2015
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: 591939, 591972, 591933.