Hail in Socorro County, New Mexico

Strong thunderstorms developed during the mid morning along the continental divide west of Albuquerque then swept eastward with brief hail again reaching the Albuquerque metro area. A trailing, southern storm that formed over west central Socorro County became intense as it reached the City of Socorro which was pounded by 5 to 10 minutes of baseball size hail with estimated terminal velocities of near 100 mph. This record hail storm produced widespread and intense damage to automobiles, broken windows and screens as well has destroying home and commercial roofs. Damage estimates included $15 million to the New Mexico Tech campus where nearly every building was damaged and the fleet of university vehicles was almost a total loss. County wide insurance claims had reached $40 million. The storm passed east into rural and unpopulated areas of Socorro County where it likely produced several small tornadoes.