The National Weather Service in Midland, Texas reported damage in both Hobbs and Lovington from severe storms on Wednesday, May 31. Small tornadoes, high wind gusts and heavy rain, sometimes turning into large-sized hail, was reported.
At the Lea County Office of Emergency Management’s Facebook page Viola Baker stated, “There was a tornado report between Caprock and Tatum. The clouds in Lovington were awful.” Cheryl Hicks Duffey added, “Sooo, Mother Nature….we welcome the rain, however the micro burst…or small tornado we could have done without….” Ms. Hicks Duffey also mentions that she “…heard there may be high lines” lying across Lovington Highway.
According to Emergency Management staff, both residential and commercial sites suffered damage, much of which is extensive. Specifically, residential and commercial damage has been reported on Stiles between Highway 18 and Arkansas Junction. Commercial damage has also been found in the area of Arkansas Junction and Highway 62/180.
Many power lines are down. KOAT 7 Action News reports “Highways 82, 83, 483, and parts of Highways 62 and 180 were affected. Highway 18 near Stiles Road also experienced power line damage.”
Cell phone service has been reported as non-existent in some areas. Residents in both Hobbs and Lovington complained about outages with TDS Internet service in the area.
In Lovington, a large piece of what appeared to be carpet became stuck in the powerlines near Ole Jax on Avenue D. Lovington police responded, blocking off one lane of traffic while waiting on the object to be safely removed.
Lea County’s emergency manager reported that “a barn flew into a vehicle on Highway 83 east of Lovington,” according to the KOAT 7 Action News article. It is unknown whether anyone was injured in this incident.
One area resident reported on Facebook that her trailer slid off of its foundation as a result of the high winds. “Our whole trailer was pushed back over a foot off of all the supports,” states Angelica Sandoval.
KRQE News 13 reports that “the threat for severe weather will continue into Wednesday night [Thursday morning] across eastern New Mexico. A couple tornadoes, large hail, strong winds and heavy rain will continue to be possible.”
The risk of severe weather is predicted to be lower on Thursday afternoon and evening, although “a couple storms could still turn severe near the Texas state line,” states KRQE. Outlook for Friday, the weekend and next week is for storm chances to remain high with cooler temperatures.
In all of this much clean-up remains and folks are cautioned to be mindful and cautious. Staying injury free is imperative. Click here for up to the minute Lea County weather information.
