Hail — Union, New Mexico

2025-06-07 · near Hayden, Union, New Mexico

Event narrative

Penny size hail was observed along NM 102 north of Hayden.

Wider weather episode

Daytime heating combined with higher moisture east of a dryline and upper level northwest flow across the northern and central Rockies and Great Plains resulted in the development of severe storms with large hail across Colfax, Union and far northeast Harding Counties during the late afternoon and evening hours before exiting into West Texas after midnight. A more potent shortwave at the base of an upper low over the central U.S. and Canadian border moved across the central and southern Great Plains on June 8th resulting in the development of strong to severe storms across northeast and east central NM during the mid afternoon and evening hours until exiting into Texas at around sunset. Finally, a 61 mph wind gust was observed at Raton Crews Airport during the evening hours of June 11th due to a nearby thunderstorm.

These storms pushed a backdoor front and higher moisture south and west across eastern and central NM resulting in the development of another round of strong to severe storms across these parts of the state during the afternoon hours of June 9th. Storms organized into a convective line across eastern New Mexico during the evening hours producing damaging wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph across parts of the east central plains. This complex of storms exited into Texas just before midnight. Daytime heating combined with an upper level disturbance moving into southern New Mexico resulted in the development of some strong thunderstorms across the higher terrain. Thunderstorms across the Sacramento Mountains dropped heavy rainfall in a short period of time on the South Fork and Salt burn scars around Ruidoso resulting in some flash flooding and debris flows in the Upper Canyon area just west of downtown Ruidoso. These storms combined into a larger complex of storms over Chaves County before exiting into West Texas during the early evening hours.

Key Impacts: Hail, Severe Thunderstorm Wind Gust, Flash Flooding, Debris Flow.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.0000, -103.3000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1251425. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.