Tornadoes · United States · New Mexico

Tornadoes in Lea County, New Mexico

96 tornadoes have crossed Lea County since 1950, 1st of the 31 counties in New Mexico with a tornado on record, an average of 1.3 a year. They have killed 0 people and injured 8. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
96
Deaths
0
Injuries
8
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 17, 1954

The strongest

  1. F3, Lea County, New MexicoMay 17, 1954F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  2. F2, Lea County, New MexicoJune 6, 1991F2, 17.5 mi (28 km)
  3. F2, Lea County, New MexicoJune 6, 1991F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  4. F2, Lea County, New MexicoJune 6, 1991F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  5. EF2, Lea County, New MexicoMarch 23, 2007EF2, 8.4 mi (13 km)
  6. F2, Lea County, New MexicoJune 6, 1991F2, 4.5 mi (7 km)
  7. F2, Lea County, New MexicoMay 27, 1982F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Lea County, New MexicoJune 14, 1972F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  9. F2, Lea County, New MexicoJuly 24, 1960F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 38 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lea County. Each year links to every tornado in New Mexico that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242Unrated
20232Unrated
20141EF0
20074EF2
19991F0
19981F0
19973F1
19961F0
19953F1
19942F0
19926F0
1991155F2
19893F1
198831F1
19876F0
19861F0
19853F0
19831F0
19822F2
19792F0
19781F1
19772F1
19751F0
19731F1
19721F2
19711F1
19705F1
196912F1
19681F0
19664F1
19632F1
19621F0
19612F1
19602F2
19591F1
19573F0
19561F0
19544F3

Every tornado that crossed Lea County

96 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than New Mexico.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 2, 20244:50 PM MDTUnratedLea6.3200
November 2, 20243:04 PM MDTUnratedLea1.350
May 27, 20236:38 PM MDTUnratedLea3.550
May 27, 20236:10 PM MDTUnratedLea1.050
May 23, 20147:05 PM MDTEF0Lea3.6200
March 23, 20075:45 PM MDTEF0Lea1.075$2,000
March 23, 20075:36 PM MDTEF0Lea1.0100
March 23, 20075:07 PM MDTEF2Lea8.4880$28,000
March 23, 20074:32 PM MDTEF0Lea3.030
April 30, 19992:28 PM MDTF0Lea0.2120
October 27, 19984:08 PM MSTF0Lea0.5100
May 28, 19977:55 PM MDTF0Lea0.350$20,000
May 8, 19977:00 PM MDTF0Lea2.560
May 6, 19977:09 PM MDTF1Lea1.0200$60,000
June 2, 19968:13 PM MDTF0Lea0.350
August 14, 19954:40 PM MDTF0Lea0.440
June 25, 19959:20 PM MDTF0Lea0.240
May 26, 19953:51 PM MDTF1Lea2.5100
September 7, 19949:20 PM MDTF0Lea0.140
May 26, 19946:20 PM MDTF0Lea1.040
June 1, 19926:45 PM MDTF0Lea0.113
May 24, 19928:35 PM MDTF0Lea0.110
May 22, 19922:36 PM MDTF0Lea0.110
May 22, 19922:19 PM MDTF0Lea0.110
May 22, 19921:15 PM MDTF0Lea0.110
May 13, 19923:56 PM MDTF0Lea0.110
August 10, 19911:35 PM MDTF0Lea0.110
June 6, 19916:38 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
June 6, 19916:15 PM MDTF2Lea4.5100$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19916:15 PM MDTF2Lea17.5150$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19916:15 PM MDTF2Lea10.01505$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19916:15 PM MDTF2Lea10.0150$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19915:45 PM MDTF0Lea0.310
June 6, 19915:44 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
June 5, 19915:35 PM MDTF0Lea0.320
June 5, 19915:23 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
June 5, 19915:10 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
June 5, 19915:09 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
June 5, 19915:07 PM MDTF0Lea0.510
June 5, 19915:00 PM MDTF0Lea0.110
June 5, 19914:58 PM MDTF0Lea0.510
August 2, 19896:48 PM MDTF1Lea2.550$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 19897:02 PM MDTF0Lea3.023
May 11, 19899:06 PM MDTF1Lea5.023$500 to $5,000
May 20, 19884:06 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
May 20, 19883:49 PM MDTF0Lea0.2301$50,000 to $500,000
April 16, 19883:48 PM MDTF1Lea0.210
May 30, 19878:12 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
May 26, 19874:23 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
May 25, 19878:17 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
May 25, 19878:06 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
May 25, 19877:53 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
May 23, 19871:05 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
July 1, 198610:15 PM MDTF0Lea0.210
July 24, 19854:30 PM MDTF0Lea0.210$5,000 to $50,000
June 5, 19854:00 PM MDTF0Lea0.210$5,000 to $50,000
May 19, 19854:20 PM MDTF0Lea0.110$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19839:00 PM MDTF0Lea0.220$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 19826:08 PM MDTF0Lea0.110under $50
May 27, 19825:13 PM MDTF2Lea0.110$5 million to $50 million
August 2, 19795:00 PM MDTF0Lea0.110
July 24, 19798:00 PM MDTF0Lea0.110$500 to $5,000
October 10, 19786:53 PM MDTF1Lea0.110$5,000 to $50,000
September 13, 19777:15 PM MDTF0Lea0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19773:00 PM MSTF1Lea5.1400$5,000 to $50,000
July 23, 19759:22 PM MDTF0Lea0.110under $50
April 18, 19732:30 PM MSTF1Lea0.110$50 to $500
June 14, 197210:00 PM MDTF2Lea0.110$50 to $500
June 14, 19714:00 PM MDTF1Lea0.110$50 to $500
May 27, 19701:30 PM MDTF1Lea0.110
May 25, 197010:45 AM MDTF0Lea0.110
April 18, 19703:00 PM MSTF0Lea0.110
April 17, 19705:30 PM MSTF1Lea7.110$500 to $5,000
April 17, 19705:30 PM MSTF1Lea0.110$500 to $5,000
April 10, 19698:35 PM GMT-6F1Loving to NM19.4102$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19684:00 PM GMT-6F0Lea0.110
August 7, 19667:00 PM GMT-6F1Lea0.210$500 to $5,000
May 26, 19668:00 PM GMT-6F0Lea0.110
May 26, 19668:00 PM GMT-6F0Lea0.110
May 10, 19664:30 PM GMT-6F0Lea1.010$50 to $500
August 31, 19636:15 PM GMT-7F1Lea0.110$500 to $5,000
June 8, 19636:00 AM GMT-7F0Lea0.110
July 27, 19624:57 PM GMT-7F0Lea0.110
June 7, 19614:00 PM GMT-7F0Lea0.110
May 30, 19618:00 PM GMT-7F1Lea1.027$5,000 to $50,000
July 24, 19602:00 PM GMT-7F2Lea0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 26, 19602:00 PM GMT-7F0Lea0.520
April 7, 19592:30 PM GMT-7F1Lea0.510$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19577:39 PM GMT-7F0Lea0.110
May 30, 19577:00 PM GMT-7F0Lea0.110
May 30, 19574:39 PM GMT-7F0Lea0.110
May 29, 19568:00 PM GMT-7F0Lea0.110$50 to $500
May 17, 19548:00 PM GMT-7F1Lea4.350
May 17, 19547:00 PM GMT-7F3Lea0.110under $50
May 16, 19544:30 PM GMT-7F0Lea0.110
May 16, 19542:00 PM GMT-7F1Lea0.5100$50 to $500

Nearby

Warnings in force in Lea CountyThe forecast for Lea CountyThe live radar over Lea CountyEvery county in New Mexico

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.