Carlsbad

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Eddy County, the county that contains Carlsbad.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Eddy County, the county that contains Carlsbad.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Eddy County, the county that contains Carlsbad.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Eddy County.

Mapped by USGS Conterminous (55).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 7, 2010Hail$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant hail damage was observed at car dealerships located north of Church Street in Carlsbad. Although there were specific reports of roof damage, an exact number of homes impacted could not be established and this portion of the property damage was roughly estimated.

2. Apr 3, 2004Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   During the evening of April 3rd, a National Weather Service spotter reported Dark Canyon Road, five miles east of State Highway 137, was under seven feet of water. Additional flooding over southwestern portions of Carlsbad was reported by local law enforcement and the public. Just after midnight, early Sunday morning, U.S. Highway 285 became impassable due to flooding ten miles northwest of Carlsbad. Flooding along County Roads 658 and 672 southwest of Carlsbad resulted in several evacuations and helicopter rescues during the early morning hours on Sunday along Dark Canyon Draw. As late as Sunday afternoon, flooding of low-lying areas around Carlsbad continued along the Pecos…

3. Dec 1, 1998Drought, Eddy County Plains / Eddy Except X W$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The devastating drought continued into the Winter with little precipitation reported around the region in December. The estimated damage totals are for calendar year 1998.

4. Sep 17, 2016Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm moved across Eddy County and produced baseball sized hail in Artesia. The Artesia Airport Manager reported extensive damage to vehicles and hangars. There was also widespread damage to cars and homes in Artesia. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.

5. Mar 18, 2025Dust Storm, Eddy County Plains$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Eddy County local law enforcement reported at least 13 vehicle accidents, mainly on US Highway 25. Approximately 30 to 40 vehicles were involved in all accidents. Injuries were reported, but no further information was provided. Blowing dust along US Highway 285 caused by high winds between 60 and 80 MPH reduced visibility to near zero for several hours. The time and amount of property damage are estimates for all events.

6. May 6, 2005Hail$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large swath of penny to golfball size hail affected the area from four miles southwest of Carlsbad, northeastward over the city, to approximately six miles east-southeast along New Mexico State Highway 128. Widespread damage to homes and businesses, including roof damage as well as broken windows and skylights, was reported. Additionally, many vehicles were damaged, including 200+ cars at two Carlsbad dealerships.

7. Jun 4, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very intense severe thunderstorm pummelled Loving, especially the southeast part of town, with hail up to golfball size and 60-65 mph winds. Numerous windows were broken out of homes by the fast-moving hail. Also, tree damage ranged from being uprooted to losing large branches, to being stripped of all their leaves. A few power poles were blown down as well. The damage covered about a 10 city block area. One mobile home was considered totaled by an insurance company. The storm moved southeast but weakened as it approached Malaga.

8. Oct 12, 2012Hail$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm moved over Eddy County and produced baseball sized hail on the north side of Artesia along Highway 285 and State Road 2. There was roof and car damage reported. The cost of damage is a rough estimate.

9. Aug 12, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A linear bow-shaped complex of severe storms swept southeast across Eddy County during the late evening of the 12th. These storms resulted in widespread wind damage as they affected Carlsbad, Loving, and Malaga. Numerous trees, utility lines, and dozens of power poles were downed by the storms. Several trailers and other light structures also sustained damage. A National Weather Service damage assessment team also found wind damage to area agricultural crops. A wind gust of 78 MPH was recorded by the Carlsbad Municipal Airport ASOS at 21:39 MST. No injuries were reported.

10. Apr 6, 2001High Wind, Eddy County Plains$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A strong upper level storm system moving across the area produced strong gradient winds across southeast New Mexico during the afternoon of April 6. Wind gusts in excess of 70 mph at times resulted in a six vehicle accident on Highway 2 north of the city of Artesia and a four vehicle accident on Highway 285 north of the city of Artesia minutes later. The wind snapped large tree branches and electric power lines. The wind was also responsible for disrupting cable television transmitters and also for blowing a parking canopy support through the windshield of a pickup truck. In Carlsbad, winds as high as 67 mph blew down a 60 foot Arizona Cypress tree and caused major roof damage to…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

113°F3 times, most recently Jun 28, 1998

All-time low

−18°FJan 11, 1962

Warmest night

82°F7 times, most recently Aug 12, 2023

Coldest day

10°FJan 12, 1963

Wettest day

3.94 inMay 22, 1987

Snowiest day

15.0 inNov 30, 1931

Hottest year

1999mean 67.6°F

Coldest year

1987mean 60.9°F

Wettest year

198625.48 in

Driest year

20202.96 in

Snowiest season

26.3 in1982-83

Station Cavern City Airport (USW00093033), 3,250 ft elevation, 4.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1930 to October 27, 2026; 98.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Eddy County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00093033.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.