Eddy County, NM Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by winter weather. 1,299 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $43.79M
- Relatively Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 1,299
- Most often hail
- Flood insurance policies
- 235
- 1.1% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 1 tropical storm or stronger since 1942
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 83.7 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Score 56.9 of 100
Community resilience
Very Low
Score 12.6 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $13.28B · Agriculture value exposed: $125M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $53.6M
Risk by hazard
- Winter weatherRelatively High$607K/yr expected annual loss, about 6.5 events a year
- WildfireRelatively Low$936K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 732 years
- DroughtRelatively Moderate$1.07M/yr expected annual loss, about 127 events a year
- Ice stormRelatively High$506K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- Strong windRelatively Moderate$1.27M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- Heat waveRelatively Low$1.21M/yr expected annual loss, about 4.9 events a year
- LightningRelatively Moderate$582K/yr expected annual loss, about 48 events a year
- HailRelatively Moderate$576K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.6 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively Low$983K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
- TornadoRelatively Low$362K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- EarthquakeVery Low$41.77K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3,484 years
- HurricaneVery Low$7,656/yr expected annual loss, about once every 138 years
- AvalancheVery Low$33/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
- LandslideVery Low$78/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 235 of 22,390 (1.1%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 1,802
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 201 (11%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 51
- Claims paid since 1978
- $333K
Flood claims paid per year
Storm history
Since 1996: 1,299 events, 4 deaths, $23.54M in damage
- Hail402
- High Wind348 · 1 death
- Flash Flood219 · 2 deaths
- Thunderstorm Wind166
- Heavy Snow41
- Drought30
- Flood16
- Tornado15
- Winter Weather13
- Dust Storm11
Events per year
59 tornadoes on record (EF0 8, EF2 1, F0 40, F1 6, F2 3).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- High Wind86 kt wind02/02/2003
Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County
1 death, 2 injured, $15K damage
What happened
An intense upper level storm system which passed close to West Texas and southeast New Mexico resulted in very strong west winds in the higher elevations of the Guadalupe Mountains. An automated observing site in the Guadalupes recorded a peak wind gust of 99 MPH around 21:00 MST on the 2nd. The high winds blew a vehicle off of the north/south oriented Highway 62/180 near mile marker 6. The accident, occuring at 11:00 MST on the 2nd, resulted in one death and two injuries.
- Dense Fog11/28/2006
Eddy County Plains
1 death, 2 injured, $5,000 damage
What happened
A radio station in Artesia reported an accident that occurred on U.S. Highway 62/180 near Carlsbad. A New Mexico State Police Officer reported that visibility at the time of the accident was around 30 feet. Two cars were involved in the accident. The occupant of one of the cars was not wearing his seatbelt and was killed. The two occupants in the other car were wearing seatbelts and had only minor injuries. Dense fog reducing visibilities in the area was a contributing factor in the accident.
- High Wind61 kt wind04/06/2001
Eddy County Plains
10 injured, $500K damage
What happened
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 a greenhouse.
- Flash Flood09/19/2014
Whites City, Eddy County
1 death, $40K damage
What happened
Heavy rain fell across Eddy County and produced flash flooding near Whites City. Two vehicles were washed off of Whites City Road about 0.9 miles east northeast of Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center. The two vehicles were trying to cross a low lying section of the road when the flood waters caused the vehicles to lose control. The driver of the first vehicle was able to get out of the vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle swam to safety. The passenger of the second vehicle was reported missing and the body was later found. This flooding resulted in one fatality. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
- Flash Flood06/30/2021
Carlsbad, Eddy County
1 death, $30K damage
What happened
Heavy rain resulted in flash flooding near Carlsbad. Law enforcement officials reported a fatality of a gentleman whose vehicle got swept away by flash flood waters. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
- Hail2" hail03/08/2010
Carlsbad, Eddy County
$7M damage
What happened
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.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind06/29/2026
Artesia Arpt, Eddy County
- Thunderstorm Wind53 kt wind06/29/2026
Whites City, Eddy County
- High Wind50 kt wind06/18/2026
Eddy County Plains
- Thunderstorm Wind61 kt wind06/03/2026
Carlsbad, Eddy County
$1,000 damage
- Flash Flood06/03/2026
Carlsbad, Eddy County
- Thunderstorm Wind57 kt wind06/03/2026
Lakewood, Eddy County
- Thunderstorm Wind63 kt wind06/03/2026
Whites City, Eddy County
- Thunderstorm Wind54 kt wind06/03/2026
Artesia Arpt, Eddy County
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Eddy County, with the wind when it passed
- Unnamed storm (1942)08/23/1942 · Landfall: TX · 950 mbTropical storm40 mph nearby
Drinking water
14 community water systems serve about 61,523 people. Violations since 2021.
7 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 5 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Carlsbad Municipal Water SystemServes 33,626 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Artesia Municipal Water SystemServes 15,176 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Otis MdwcaServes 4,464 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+36 monitoring or reporting
- Artesia Rural Water CooperativeServes 1,950 · Groundwater · Private4 health violations
- Loving Water SystemServes 1,862 · Groundwater · Local government9 health violations+15 monitoring or reporting
- Cottonwood Water MdwcaServes 1,781 · Groundwater · Local government2 health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Malaga Mdwc SwaServes 868 · Groundwater · Local government2 health violations+18 monitoring or reporting
- Happy Valley Cooperative Water WorksServes 638 · Groundwater · Private1 health violation+13 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Brantley Dam, 7.4 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 96°F in Jun and winter lows bottom out near 29°F in Jan. About 12.8 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 3.6 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°F | 29°F | 0.38 in | 0.8 in |
| Feb | 63°F | 32°F | 0.39 in | 0.5 in |
| Mar | 71°F | 40°F | 0.40 in | - |
| Apr | 80°F | 47°F | 0.72 in | - |
| May | 87°F | 57°F | 1.29 in | - |
| Jun | 96°F | 66°F | 1.45 in | - |
| Jul | 96°F | 69°F | 2.13 in | - |
| Aug | 94°F | 68°F | 1.63 in | - |
| Sep | 87°F | 60°F | 2.01 in | - |
| Oct | 78°F | 48°F | 1.15 in | - |
| Nov | 66°F | 36°F | 0.58 in | 0.4 in |
| Dec | 58°F | 29°F | 0.63 in | 1.9 in |
| Year | 63°F average | 12.8 in | 3.6 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 16 toxic release facilities in Eddy County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- Hollyfrontier Navajo Refining LLC - Artesia Refinery254,930 lbs released, Artesia
- U.S. Dhs Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Artesia183,182 lbs released, Artesia
- South Eddy Gas Plant42,037 lbs released, Malaga
- Roadrunner Gas Plant40,833 lbs released, Loving
- Black River Processing Plant31,440 lbs released, Loving
- Enterprise Products - Chaparral Gas Plant22,772 lbs released, Loco Hills
- US Doe Waste Isolation Pilot Plant10,076 lbs released, Carlsbad
- Cowboy Cdp7,945 lbs released, Malaga
- Marlan Gas Plant7,452 lbs released, Carlsbad
- Coastal Chemical Co. Llc- Loving6,615 lbs released, Loving
Total: 617,371 lbs in 2024, 295,314 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk19 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Eddy County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Eddy County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $43.79M a year. The highest-rated hazards are winter weather (relatively high), wildfire (relatively low), drought (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in Eddy County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 1,299 storm events affecting Eddy County, most often hail (402), high wind (348), flash flood (219).
- How many tornadoes have hit Eddy County?
- 59 tornadoes have been recorded in Eddy County since 1950.
- How many homes in Eddy County have flood insurance?
- 235 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Eddy County, covering about 1.1% of homes. The program has paid $333K on 51 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Eddy County?
- At Brantley Dam, average highs reach 96°F in Jun and lows fall to 29°F in Jan, with 12.8 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.