Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 21 hail storms within 25 miles of Carlsbad, NM. Of those, 20 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was egg-sized, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2023 was the most active year on record locally, with 7 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Carlsbad| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Destructive | 4 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 7 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 9 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 1 event | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 events |
| 2025 | 4 events |
| 2024 | 5 events |
| 2023 | 7 events |
| 2022 | 3 events |
2023 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Carlsbad, with 7 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Carlsbad typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-26 | WHITES CITY, NM | Significant | 1.00" | Trained spotter found dime to quarter sized hail on the ground along U.S. Highway 62/180. The total time of occurrence is partially estimated from radar. |
| 2026-05-26 | 2 ENE Whites City, NM | Significant | 1.00" | Trained spotter found dime to quarter sized hail along U.S. Highway 62/180. |
| 2025-06-10 | LAKEWOOD, NM | Significant | 1.00" | A report was received from the public of quarter-size hail near Sever Rivers, off of US HWY 285. The time of occurrence is estimated by radar. |
| 2025-06-02 | CARLSBAD, NM | Moderate | 0.75" | Dime-size hail was reported in Carlsbad. The time of occurrence is estimated from radar. |
| 2025-05-05 | CARLSBAD, NM | Significant | 1.00" | Reports of quarter-size hail received from the public. The time of occurrence was estimated by radar. |
| 2025-05-05 | LA HUERTA, NM | Destructive | 2.50" | Multiple reports were received from the public of golf to tennis ball-size hail. The time of occurrence was estimated from radar. |
| 2024-11-02 | DAYTON, NM | Severe | 1.75" | Social media photo of golf ball size hail. |
| 2024-11-01 | LOVING, NM | Severe | 1.75" | A trained spotter relayed a report from Facebook of ping pong ball to golf ball size hail in Loving. |
| 2024-11-01 | OTIS, NM | Destructive | 2.00" | A trained spotter shared a photo of a golf ball to two-inch diameter hail in Otis near Derrick Rd and Kelly Rd. |
| 2024-06-10 | BLACK RIVER, NM | Severe | 1.50" | Spotter reported ping pong ball size hail. Time was estimated from radar. |
| 2024-06-10 | BLACK RIVER, NM | Significant | 1.00" | Spotter shared a photo of half inch to one inch hail covering the ground. Time was estimated from radar. |
| 2023-10-24 | HAPPY VLY, NM | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter-size hail was observed along State Highway 137 northwest of Carlsbad. |
| 2023-10-02 | WHITES CITY, NM | Severe | 1.75" | Golf ball size hail observed in Walnut Canyon in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. |
| 2023-10-02 | HAPPY VLY, NM | Severe | 1.75" | Public report of golf-ball size hail. |
| 2023-10-02 | LAKEWOOD, NM | Destructive | 2.50" | Relayed report from NMDOT employee of tennis ball size hail on US Highway 285. Time estimated from radar. |
| 2023-10-02 | LAKEWOOD, NM | Severe | 1.75" | Golf-ball size hail along US Highway 285. Time estimated from radar. |
| 2023-10-02 | HAPPY VLY, NM | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter-size hail and wind gusts over 60 mph along US Highway 285 northwest of Carlsbad. |
| 2023-10-02 | CARLSBAD, NM | Severe | 1.75" | Golf ball size hail along State Highway 137 near Rock Arroyo crossing. Wind-driven hail broke windshields and fences were blown down. Time estimated from radar. Property damage cost is an estimation. |
| 2022-07-21 | LOVING, NM | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2022-06-03 | WHITES CITY, NM | Destructive | 2.00" | — |
NOAA has recorded 34 high-wind events within 25 miles of Carlsbad, NM in the past five years. Of those, 34 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 81 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 19 events |
| Significant | 15 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | 5 W Whites City, NM | 61 | Significant | — |
| 2026-06-28 | WHITES CITY, NM | 61 | Significant | The West Texas Mesonet station at Carlsbad Caverns NP measured several severe wind gusts, including a couple of gusts up to 61 mph. |
| 2026-06-18 | 6 W Whites City, NM | 58 | Significant | Mesonet station 164 Carlsbad Caverns NP. |
| 2026-06-03 | 6 W Whites City, NM | 73 | Severe | Mesonet at Carlsbad Caverns NP recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 73 mph. |
| 2026-06-03 | 3 N Lakewood, NM | 66 | Severe | Seven Rivers weather station recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 66 mph. |
| 2026-06-02 | CARLSBAD, NM | 70 | Severe | A member of the public reported at least one tree was uprooted by thunderstorm winds. The time of occurrence is estimated by radar, as well as the strongest wind gust and cost of damages. |
| 2026-06-02 | WHITES CITY, NM | 73 | Severe | The West Texas Mesonet station at Carlsbad Caverns NP recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 73 mph, as well as several other severe wind gusts. |
| 2026-06-02 | LAKEWOOD, NM | 66 | Severe | Seven Rivers weather station recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 66 mph. The total time of occurrence is partially estimated. |
| 2026-05-14 | 5 WSW Otis, NM | 58 | Significant | ASOS station KCNM Carlsbad measured a 58 mph wind gust associated with a convective downburst. |
| 2026-05-14 | (CNM)CARLSBAD ARPT, NM | 58 | Significant | ASOS station KCNM Carlsbad measured a 58 mph wind gust associated with a convective downburst. |
| 2026-05-10 | 6 W Whites City, NM | 65 | Severe | Mesonet station 164 Carlsbad Caverns NP. |
| 2026-04-26 | 5 WSW Otis, NM | 55 | Significant | ASOS station KCNM Carlsbad. |
| 2025-06-21 | (CNM)CARLSBAD ARPT, NM | 76 | Severe | A maximum wind gust of 76 MPH was recorded at the ASOS station, KCNM Carlsbad. |
| 2025-06-21 | HAPPY VLY, NM | 81 | Severe | Damaging winds from a microburst caused significant damage to The Living Desert Zoo and Garden State Park in western Carlsbad. Several large trees were broken, fencing was damaged, and a concrete retaining wall was toppled. Time is estimated, and winds are estimated to have been up to 80 MPH. The property damage cost is also an estimation. |
| 2025-06-15 | (CNM)CARLSBAD ARPT, NM | 69 | Severe | A maximum wind gust of 69 MPH was recorded at the ASOS Station, KCNM Carlsbad. |
| 2025-06-12 | WHITES CITY, NM | 69 | Severe | The West Texas Mesonet station at Carlsbad Caverns NP measured a 69 mph wind gust. |
| 2025-06-09 | MALAGA, NM | 67 | Severe | The Mesonet station NMC36 Malaga recorded a 67 mph wind gust. The station stopped reporting at 10:55 PM MDT as a line of storms neared, but when it came back online at 12:20 AM MDT (well after the line of storms had passed) it showed a 67 mph wind gust. As such, the time that the gust occurred is estimated from radar and from when the station first stopped reporting (which was likely caused by the severe wind gust). |
| 2025-05-29 | CARLSBAD, NM | 49 | Significant | A member of the public reported multiple tree branches down near Main Street on the east side of Carlsbad due to thunderstorm wind gust. The maximum wind gust is estimated. |
| 2025-05-27 | (CNM)CARLSBAD ARPT, NM | 59 | Significant | The KCNM Carlsbad ASOS station recorded a 59 mph wind gust. |
| 2025-05-05 | MALAGA, NM | 67 | Severe | The New Mexico Climate Center mesonet station, NMC36 Malaga, recorded a maximum wind gust of 67 MPH. The time is an approximation as communication was lost with the site during the occurrence. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Carlsbad was on May 26, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Carlsbad averages roughly 4 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 20 of the 21 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Carlsbad in the last five years was egg-sized. Most Carlsbad-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in NM cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Carlsbad. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Carlsbad took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationCarlsbad sits east of the traditional hail alley, where hail events are less frequent than the central plains but tend to be associated with strong squall lines and tropical systems. Local roof systems are less commonly hardened for hail, which can mean even moderate impacts produce claim-worthy damage.