The Great Roswell Twister
Mike Smith
7 Comments
Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Google | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon | Technorati
On May 31, 1930, in the community of Wagon Mound, in northeastern New Mexico’s Mora County, a tornado ripped apart an auto repair shop, killing two or three people in the process.
On June 25, 1960, at the Philmont Scout Ranch, in the state’s northeastern corner, a tornado destroyed much of that camp’s facilities, shredded a chapel, and injured thirty-four campers and members of the staff.
On September 20, 1985, not far from Winrock Mall in Albuquerque, a tornado touched down long enough to cause at least $100,000 worth of damage, whirling right through the neighborhoods and streets of the city.
And on March 23 and 24, 2007, in the towns of Logan and Clovis and at least ten other communities along the state’s eastern edge, a vicious series of thirteen tornadoes damaged approximately fifty houses and buildings, eviscerated at least twenty mobile homes, and critically wounded two people.
We may not live in tornado alleys such as those in the Deep South or the Midwest, but New Mexico has experienced a significant number of twisters over the years—nearly five hundred of them between 1880 and 2000 alone, according to one list—and many of these, including those described above, will no doubt long be remembered by many as major events—as wild happenings that came from nowhere, and changed everything.
The tornado that struck the western edge of Roswell this week, however, will...well...it might not prove so indelible.
According to the May 6, 2008 Roswell Daily Record:
A tornado touched down six miles west of Roswell Monday afternoon [May 5, 2008] for at least 15 seconds, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Mark Fettig.
Fettig said the tornado touched down about 4:30 p.m., and was active long enough to turn over a couple of trash cans. No other damage was reported.
The article, by staff writer Brent Ruffner, also quoted Fettig as saying the tornado seemed weak, without a lot of wind speed. Its storm created funnel-like clouds, contributed to some minor hail damage to homes on the north side of town, rained a bit, and in general drew very little attention during its brief and unspectacular run.
Another funnel cloud was unofficially reported that same day near Carlsbad, just one county south of Roswell. And, according to a brief mention in the May 7, 2008 Albuquerque Journal, golf-ball-sized hail pounded the desert outside of Carlsbad for fifteen minutes, followed by hailstones the size of softballs. The storm system that created the Roswell tornado was very likely a factor in keeping the hail aloft long enough to gain so much ice, but in Roswell itself, its effects were minimal.
Quoting again from the Daily Record:
"I didn't see a thing," [Roswell resident Jim Ballard] said. "There were a few drops of rain, but no strong winds or anything...." he said.
Neighbor Alex Ramirez, 16, called authorities after he saw the clouds across Main Street about 5 p.m. "I got out of my truck, and a big gust of wind almost knocked me down," Ramirez said. "The clouds were real close to the ground. I didn't see them touch the ground, but the sky was really dark."
“It’s one of the worst tornadoes in Roswell history,” joked John LeMay, writer of “My Strange New Mexico: Roswell Edition.” “I think because we never have any real tornadoes, people tend to blow them out of proportion.
"...They’re more like really big dirt devils, I guess.”
In a recent interview, LeMay claimed not to have even noticed the event, but as a survivor of this natural disaster’s fifteen-second rampage, it may just be that he is still in shock, still unable to fully recount its horrors.
It may well be that this storm’s blustery might—or the total inability of even the sturdiest of trash receptacles to withstand it—was deemed, by LeMay’s unconscious mind, to be too traumatic to accept, too epic to even begin to comprehend.
Or, he may have just been indoors.
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (7)
I just wanted to let you know that I think what you are doing it awesome! Its takes a lot of hard work and dedication to write everyday, and I appreciate what you and John LeMay are doing. Preserving History (even in all its weirdness) is a long and often thankless task. I love the site and I love the open forum you've created for discussion.
Keep up the good work!
Hazelnutmegan is right again. - Thank you guys! :-)
And I'm sure you're right that tornadoes like these would feel a lot more epic if experienced in person.