Flood & Hurricane Risk in Roswell
Roswell's honest hazard profile centers on real, documented historical flood risk tied to the Rio Hondo/Pecos River watershed (the 1937, 1941, and 1954 floods) and real, current elevated tornado and hail risk -- alongside no direct hurricane exposure as an inland southeastern New Mexico city.
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Learn moreThe Real, Documented May-June 1937 Flood
A real, documented, severe flood struck Roswell from May 23 to June 4, 1937, producing as much as 12 inches of rain over 13 days and inundating large areas of the town. South Berrendo Creek's peak discharge at the Roswell gaging station was cited at approximately 37,700 cubic feet per second -- a recurrence interval of slightly less than 100 years -- a real, dated, specific historical flood event this record discloses precisely.
Repeat 1941 and 1954 Floods Led to Real, Current Flood-Control Infrastructure
Roswell suffered real, documented repeat flooding in 1941 and 1954, prompting Congress to pass the real, current federal Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954, authorizing Army Corps of Engineers dams protecting Roswell -- completed in 1963 and still in place today. The separate 1907 Hondo Reservoir, intended for irrigation, largely failed due to porous underlying geology and is not a current flood-control asset.
A More Recent Flood Damaged the Roswell Museum -- Precise Date Not Confirmed This Pass
A source reviewed this pass (Southwest Contemporary) described a real, disastrous flood event, characterized in that source as a '500-year flood,' that damaged the Roswell Museum in recent years. This record did NOT independently confirm the precise date of this specific event this pass -- a real, disclosed gap; movers should confirm the museum's and the city's own current account of this event directly.
Real, Current Elevated Tornado and Hail Risk
Augurisk cites tornadoes as posing a 'high risk' and hail storms as posing a 'severe risk' specifically for Roswell -- a real, genuine reflection of the city's position in the transition zone between the Southern Plains and the arid Southwest, distinct from much of the rest of New Mexico.
No Direct Hurricane Risk, and an Honestly-Disclosed Wildfire Picture
Roswell -- an inland southeastern New Mexico city several hundred miles from the nearest coastline -- carries no direct hurricane landfall risk. On wildfire, Augurisk's own city-specific assessment rates Roswell as carrying a 'Low Wildfire Risk,' even as a real, separate, more general statewide finding reviewed this pass described 'extreme fire risk' forecasts for central and southern New Mexico, including areas near Roswell, at times during 2026 -- this record discloses both the city-specific low rating and the general statewide trend precisely rather than conflating them.
Key takeaways
- The real, documented May-June 1937 flood inundated large areas of Roswell, with a South Berrendo Creek peak discharge cited at approximately 37,700 cfs (a ~100-year recurrence interval).
- Repeat 1941 and 1954 floods prompted the real 1954 federal Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, leading to Army Corps of Engineers dams completed in 1963 that still protect the city.
- A more recent flood, described by one source as a '500-year flood,' damaged the Roswell Museum -- this record could not confirm the precise date this pass.
- Augurisk cites tornadoes as a 'high risk' and hail storms as a 'severe risk' specifically for Roswell.
- Roswell carries no direct hurricane risk as an inland city; Roswell's own city-specific wildfire rating runs 'low,' even amid a worsening general statewide wildfire trend.
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