New Mexico, 2025

Damaging Wind in New Mexico, May 27, 2025

May 27, 2025 · NWS MAF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A trough passing over the region, a nearby dryline, and upslope surface flow allowed for the development of scattered thunderstorms across Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. Large hail was reported in Brewster County in/near the higher elevation.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

A trough passing over the region, a nearby dryline, and upslope surface flow allowed for the development of scattered thunderstorms across Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. Large hail was reported in Brewster County in/near the higher elevation. Some strong winds were also measured that evening. High non-thunderstorm winds were also reported in the Guadalupe Mountains overnight as the trough/Pacific front moved through.

What forecasters said that day

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 27, 4:42 PM MST, 2 hours 38 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Updated at 628 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025
  • Thunderstorms are expected today and tomorrow, especially along and south of I-10. Some storms may become severe. Large hail and damaging winds are the primary threats.
  • Thunderstorm chances continue late this week and into the weekend. Highest chances will be for the mountains (20-50%).
  • Warming trend commences this weekend as humidity persists.
Area forecast discussion, May 27, 4:42 PM MST, 2 hours 38 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
642 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025

...New AVIATION...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 628 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025

- Thunderstorms are expected today and tomorrow, especially along
  and south of I-10. Some storms may become severe. Large hail
  and damaging winds are the primary threats.

- Thunderstorm chances continue late this week and into the
  weekend. Highest chances will be for the mountains (20-50%).

- Warming trend commences this weekend as humidity persists.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(This afternoon through Wednesday night)
Issued at 154 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025

The short term continues to be active with severe thunderstorms in
the forecast. Water Vapor imagery shows an upper-level trough
located over the the coast of Baja California, putting southeast New
Mexico and west Texas under quasi-zonal flow. This weak pattern
aloft means that any storms that develop this afternoon should
primarily be due to mesoscale forcing as large scale ascent is
lacking. Current surface analysis depicts a cold front draped along
the Trans Pecos region and it is expected to retreat back north as a
warm front this afternoon. Simultaneously, a dryline is expected to
set up just to the east of the Guadalupe Mountains and extend
southward through the Trans Pecos and Big Bend this afternoon.
Easterly upslope flow moving up against the dryline should force air
upwards in the moist sector this afternoon, allowing for the
development of showers and thunderstorms. Hi-res guidance shows
storms forming along the Davis Mountains around mid-afternoon as
discrete cells before becoming more of a MCS by early evening as
shortwave impulses ahead of the aforementioned upper-level trough
move overhead along with an increased LLJ. Very large hail is the
primary hazard expected with these storms during the afternoon,
especially south of I-10. Strong winds become the main hazard during
the early evening hours with large inverted-V soundings. Though
tornadoes are unlikely, we can not rule out the possibility of an
isolated tornado during the afternoon. The LLJ will be short lived
tonight and storms should move east of the area after midnight.
Cloudy skies and plentiful boundary layer moisture will allow
tonight's lows to stay around normal for most despite a cold front
moving through the area.

Wednesday looks to be another active day for severe weather as
southerly return flow and shortwave impulses ahead of the
aforementioned trough return. The greatest instability and shear will
be confined to the southern half of the forecast area, which is
consistent with where models show the bulk of the activity. High
temperatures are forecast to be 3-5 degrees cooler than today behind
the cold front. Storms should quickly taper off by early evening.
Lack of radiational cooling due to cloud cover and abundant boundary
layer moisture allows for Wednesday night's lows to be a few degrees
warmer than tonight's.

Greening

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Thursday through Monday)
Issued at 154 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025

Our unsettled weather pattern continues into the Long Term Period.
Flow aloft becomes more northwesterly towards the end of the week as
ridging builds to the west. Pulses within the upper-level flow,
coupled with the dryline set up in southeast New Mexico (which will
become more diffuse, especially by Friday), continued advection of
moisture into the region, and upslope flow/terrain influences allow
for additional thunderstorm chances Thursday and Friday. The best
forcing (and therefore higher chances - 30-50%) will be in the Davis
Mountains, while the rest of the area will have a 15-40% chance of
seeing isolated to scattered rain and storms (with lower chances
Friday relative to Thursday). Once again, a few storms may become
severe due to MUCAPE values of 1000-2000 J/kg and modest 0-6km shear
(25-35 kts), posing mainly a large hail and damaging wind threat.

Some additional storms may attempt to develop over the weekend
(mainly in/around the terrain, where 20-50% chances exist), but by
then ridging begins to build back towards the region. As a result, a
warming trend develops such that most of the area sees highs return
to the 90s (and low 100s along the Rio Grande). Winds remain
southeasterly, meaning dewpoints in the 50s and 60s stick around
through the weekend as well. By early next week, ensembles indicate
another shortwave trough will approach, kick the ridge further to
the east, and bring some more storm chances to the region as the
dryline once again begins to sharpen up. Stay tuned for updates!

Sprang

&&

.AVIATION...
(00Z TAFS)
Issued at 628 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025

Scattered storms are currently ongoing near FST, as well as west
of CNM, and are expected to last throughout the next few hours.
TSRA PROB30s have been included for FST, CNM, and PEQ mainly from
01-04Z this evening. Amendments may be needed for the other
terminals as storm coverage may increase within the next couple of
hours, however, confidence is very low in the positioning and
magnitude of the storm coverage, which is why PROB30s were not
included. After 06Z, storms are expected to significantly
decrease and VFR conditions will prevail through the period.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Big Spring               62  86  66  86 /  40  30  10  10
Carlsbad                 61  89  63  90 /  30  20  10  20
Dryden                   65  87  69  89 /  60  30  20  10
Fort Stockton            63  87  67  92 /  60  40  20  20
Guadalupe Pass           58  83  63  84 /  20  20  10  20
Hobbs                    58  84  61  85 /  50  20  10  20
Marfa                    56  84  58  87 /  40  40  10  30
Midland Intl Airport     63  85  68  88 /  40  30  10  10
Odessa                   62  84  67  87 /  40  30  10  10
Wink                     63  89  67  91 /  40  20  10  20

&&

.MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...None.
NM...None.
&&

SHORT TERM...55
LONG TERM....13
AVIATION...11

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 27, 2:58 PM MST, 4 hours 22 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
458 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0445 PM     Hail             Chisos Basin            29.27N 103.30W
05/27/2025  E1.75 Inch       Brewster           TX   Public

&&

AH
Local storm report, May 27, 5:11 PM MST, 2 hours 9 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
711 PM CDT Tue May 27 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0638 PM     Hail             3 W Marathon            30.21N 103.29W
05/27/2025  M1.25 Inch       Brewster           TX   Storm Chaser

            Storm chaser reported half dollar size hail
            on US 90 west of Marathon. Time was
            estimated by radar.

&&

KML

The radar

The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 194 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:19 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Eddy

When
May 27, 7:20 PM MST to 7:25 PM MST
Where
Eddy County, 1.17 mi E of (Cnm)carlsbad Arpt
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
32.330, -104.250

The KCNM Carlsbad ASOS station recorded a 59 mph wind gust.

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Mexico in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, May 2025

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: 1257568.