Arabela, New Mexico
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1936 and the latest in 2004. It stands in the Capitan census division. It lies in ZIP code area 88351. The Survey maps it on the Arabela quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 15 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1936 USGS Arabela quadrangle1:48000
- 1936 USGS Arabela quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1942 USGS Arabela quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Roswell quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Roswell quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Roswell quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Arabela quadrangle1:24000
- 1981 USGS Carrizozo quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 2004 USGS Arabela quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
33 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 33 fires within 5 miles of Arabela between 1992 and 2020, burning about 15,149 acres in total. 23 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 23 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2015 | Natural | under an acre | Lincoln National Forest | SUNSET |
| 8 August 2019 | Natural | under an acre | Lincoln National Forest | MICHALLAS |
| 8 August 1998 | Natural | 65 acres | Lincoln National Forest | 7 CABINS |
| 6 August 2011 | Natural | under an acre | Lincoln National Forest | ZEUFELDT |
| 5 August 2012 | Natural | under an acre | Lincoln National Forest | SMOKEY |
| 30 August 2011 | Natural | under an acre | New Mexico State Forestry Division | SANCHEZ |
| 27 August 2015 | Natural | 9.0 acres | New Mexico State Forestry Division | STRIKE |
| 16 August 1999 | Natural | under an acre | Lincoln National Forest | PANCHO |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Arabela: 1 occurrence, 1 prospect. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Uranium, Thorium, Manganese. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabela Mines Inc Prospect | Manganese | Prospect | ||
| San Pedro-Link- Nob Hill | Uranium, Thorium | Occurrence | Allanite |
Storms near this place
14 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Arabela in 14 storm reports between 2004 and 2021: 8 hail, 4 flash flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2021 | Flash Flood | Arabela | $20,000 | Heavy rain near Arabela forced the closure of New Mexico State Road 368 at mile marker 9. The Lincoln County emergency manager reported that water was flooding a substantial bridge at mile marker 9. Damages are estimated. |
| May 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Arabela | - | A storm chaser reported a tornado moving southeast from a severe thunderstorm north-northeast of Arabela. No damage was reported. |
| June 2021 | Hail | Arabela | - | The Lincoln County Emergency Manager reported nickel size hail along New Mexico State Road 368 from a strong thunderstorm tracking eastward through the area. |
| May 2018 | Flash Flood | Arabela | - | Storm chasers reported flash flooding along NM-368 from Escondido Creek. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Arabela | - | Half dollar size hail along NM-368 six miles south-southwest of Arabela. |
| August 2017 | Flash Flood | Arabela | - | State road 368 closed from several feet of water rushing across nearly 50 feet of the roadway. |
| August 2016 | Heavy Rain | Arabela | - | A rancher near Arabela reported a torrential rainfall amount of 3 inches from a thunderstorm that passed over his location. No flooding was reported. |
| September 2016 | Hail | Arabela | - | Nickel size hail eight miles north of Tinnie. |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Arabela | - | High water flooding over low water crossings. Roads impassable. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Arabela | - | Baseball hail 6 miles north of Highway 246. |
| April 2009 | Hail | Arabela | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Arabela | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Arabela | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Arabela | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluewater | 2.1 miles | 15 | |
| Pine Lodge | 4.5 miles | 15 | |
| Escondido (historical) | 7.7 miles | 9 | |
| Baca (historical) | 10.7 miles | 13 | |
| Lincoln | 12.9 miles | 9 | |
| Hondo | 14.7 miles | 9 | |
| San Patricio | 14.7 miles | 9 | |
| Double Crossing | 14.8 miles | 14 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 903252. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.








