Coldest Day In SE NM History!
On Wednesday, February 8, 1933
The coldest weather event in the known history of southeastern New Mexico occurred. Thermometers fell to levels that today are still hard to believe for this part of the country!
Seminole, Texas set a new all time state record low temperature of -23 on February 8th. Morgan, Wyoming recorded a new all time state record low temperature of -66 on February 9th. Seneca, Oregon recorded a new all time record low for the state with -54 on February 10th.
Roswell recorded 4.0" of snow on February 7th, Artesia measured 3.5", and Carlsbad measured 2.0" in town, and at the airport 7.0" was measured on the 7th. A historically bitterly cold arctic airmass worked its way southward into southeastern New Mexico, after sending thermometers plummeting across much of the western U.S.A. that eventful week.
High/Low Temps Recorded On February 8th, 1933
Corona Climate High 15 Low -12
Clovis Climate High 12 Low -11
Portales Climate High 3 Low -28
Clovis Climate High 12 Low -11
Portales Climate High 3 Low -28
Richland Climate (S Of Portales) High 18 Low -29
Roswell Climate High 10 Low -24
Hagerman Climate High 10 Low -34
Capitan Climate High 12 Low -4
Fort Stanton Climate NE Ruidoso High 15 Low -18 (7th)
Cloudcroft Climate High 19 Low -6
Artesia Climate High 7 Low -35
Hope Climate High 1 Low -22
Carlsbad Climate (City) High 20 Low -17
Carlsbad Airport High 20 Low -10
Tatum Climate High 22 Low -32
Lovington Climate High 19 Low -27
Pearl Climate 15 W Hobbs High 9 Low -30
Seminole, TX Climate High 26 Low -23
Lamesa, TX Low -12
Lubbock, TX Climate High 18 Low -17
Midland, TX Climate Low -11
The following quotes were taken from an article printed in the Artesia Advocate on Thursday, February 9th, 1933-
“The official temperature registered at the government station here was thirty-five below zero, which reading checked with other thermometers in Artesia regarded as accurate.
A reading of thirty below was registered by the thermometer at the Continental Refinery (Navajo Refinery today) about 4:00 o’clock Wednesday morning. And the fact that the Continental thermometer was housed in a building probably explains the differences in the readings.
Other thermometers over town registered from 30 to 43 degrees below zero. The thermometer registered six and one half degrees above zero Tuesday morning at the beginning of the storm, the temperature dropped to zero during the day.”
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On February 13, 1905, Roswell plummeted to -29 to set their all time record low.
Carlsbad recorded a low of -5 in town during that event. No records are available for Artesia on this date.
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On January 11, 1962 the Carlsbad Airport plummeted to -18 to set their all time record low.
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The Most Recent Below Zero Temps-
The last time that temperatures below zero were recorded here in the Pecos Valley of southeastern New Mexico, was during the massive Christmas week snowstorm of 1997. Artesia recorded a low of -5 on December 27th, 1997.
I recorded a low of -8 1 mile northeast of Lakewood at our family ranch/farm. Carlsbad recorded a low of 6 in town, and the airport fell to 7. Roswell recorded a low of 2, Hope had a low of 4, while at the Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge the thermometer bottomed out at -9.
Storm Total Snowfall Amounts From That 3 Day Storm Dec 22-25, 1997!
Fort Sumner 17.5”
5 Miles south of Fort Sumner 31.0”
5 Miles south of Fort Sumner 31.0”
Santa Rosa 16.8”
Clovis 11.5”
Portales 21.8”
Elida 14.0”
Yeso 28.0”
Corona 28.0”
Capitan 23.0”
Picacho 17.8”
Ruidoso 22.5"
Cloudcroft 30.5”
Mountain Park 19.0”
Elk 23.0”
Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge 19.0”
Roswell 21.0” (Public reported 26.0”)
Hope 29.0”
Artesia 14.0”
Lakewood 16.4”
Brantley Dam 17.5”
Carlsbad 7.0”
Carlsbad Caverns A Trace
Maljamar 12.0”
Crossroads 9.0”
Tatum 5.0”
Hobbs 4.0”
13 West of Hobbs 2.9”
Ocha 2.5”
Jal 0”
WIPP 0” (1.60” of rain)
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The Last Time We Were -10 Or Colder-
On the morning of December 15th, 1987 Artesia fell to -13, Lakewood -13, Carlsbad Airport -4, and Roswell recorded a low of 0 on the 15th, and -3 on the 27th of that month.
Climate Data for this article is courtesy of-
The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!
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