Fence Lake, NM Hail Storm – June 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through the Fence Lake, NM area on June 4, 2025, producing 1.75-inch hail at peak and a string of radar and spotter-confirmed alerts through the afternoon and evening. The storm first showed 1.25-inch hail potential at 11:25 AM MDT, then repeated 1-inch to 1.5-inch detections as it lingered into the evening.

The strongest verified hail reports came late. At 7:34 PM MDT, an ICECHIP field research report measured a stone at 35.6 mm, or about 1.5 inches, and a second delayed report at the same time corrected the earlier location reference. Around 7:28 PM MDT, another field report measured a 24.1 mm stone, and mPING reports in the same window placed 1-inch hail on the ground. Radar confidence stayed high across multiple pulses, including dual-polarization detections in the morning, early afternoon, midafternoon, and again late at night.

The storm produced a long hail sequence rather than a single brief burst. Alerts at 1:21 PM MDT and 1:58 PM MDT each carried 1-inch hail estimates. By 2:49 PM MDT, 3:22 PM MDT, 3:55 PM MDT, and 5:52 PM MDT, radar and spotter verification kept the hail signal active. The most intense window arrived after sunset, with 1.75-inch hail detected at 6:28 PM MDT, then 1.5-inch hail at 6:29 PM MDT, 7:11 PM MDT, and 7:13 PM MDT. Later alerts continued to map 1-inch to 1.25-inch hail through 10:25 PM MDT.

Damage Assessment

Field reports point to localized surface impacts along travel corridors rather than a broad, continuous swath of structural damage. At 4:15 PM MDT, spotters reported flowing water over Highway 47, estimated at 3 to 4 inches deep and higher earlier, with debris in the water and traffic backed up. That report places the storm over a road network already dealing with runoff and reduced visibility.

A separate 5:55 PM MDT report noted post-event hail between mile markers 28 and 29 on U.S. Highway 84. Another report at 8:00 PM MDT described an overturned semi along I-40 at mile marker 366. The available reports do not tie the rollover directly to the hail, but they do show a storm environment affecting major routes during the same period.

The hail reports themselves cluster around the evening core. Spotter-verified stones of 1 inch, 1.25 inches, 1.5 inches, and 1.75 inches were documented within a roughly two-hour span. The ICECHIP reports add measured stones at 35.6 mm and 24.1 mm. That mix of measured and observed hail supports a concentrated impact area across the Fence Lake warning area, with the heaviest stones appearing late in the event.

For property checks, the most likely issues are roof granule loss, denting on soft metal surfaces, and window or trim impacts where the larger stones passed overhead. Vehicles parked outdoors during the late-evening hail burst are the first places to inspect. Roadside exposure along Highway 47, U.S. Highway 84, and I-40 also suggests crews may find isolated debris, clogged drainage, and water-related access issues before they find widespread hail debris.