Bennett, New Mexico
6 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the Jal census division. It lies in ZIP code area 88252. The Survey maps it on the Jal quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 6 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.
- 1954 USGS Hobbs quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Hobbs quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Jal quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1978 USGS Jal quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
18 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 18 fires within 5 miles of Bennett between 1994 and 2012, burning about 2,545 acres in total. 1 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 September 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | New Mexico State Forestry Division | BIG MESQUITE |
| 28 June 1994 | Natural | 10 acres | Roswell Field Office | PETERSON |
| 8 May 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 10 acres | New Mexico State Forestry Division | MM41 |
| 29 May 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 acres | Carlsbad Field Office | JC RANCH |
| 10 May 2011 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 3.0 acres | New Mexico State Forestry Division | TRAIN |
| 30 April 2000 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 50 acres | New Mexico State Forestry Division | CHAPPAREL |
| 26 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,128 acres | Carlsbad Field Office | FULFER |
| 5 March 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | New Mexico State Forestry Division | DINWIDDIE 1 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 19 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 19 workings within 5 miles of Bennett: 18 unknowns, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lea Co. Road Dept. Pit Jal | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| State Hwy Pit No. 57-15-S | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Un. Grav Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Un. Grav. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Un. Grav. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Un. Grav. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Un. Grav. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Un. Grav. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Un. Grav. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Un. Grav. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Storms near this place
9 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bennett in 9 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennett | $4,000 | As the Eddy County storm entered southwestern Lea County it became an HP Supercell. As it entered the county it was moving to the east, but soon continued turning right and headed to the southeast into Texas. Strong winds struck a ranch three miles north of the Texas border that destroyed a shed and carried a trampoline one-quarter mile. Golf ball- to tennis ball-size hail was reported farther north along State Highway 128 by a trucking company that suspended transportation along the highway until the storm turned south. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennett | $4,000 | A severe thunderstorm moved east out of Eddy County crossing southwestern Lea County and then moving southeast into Texas. Strong winds struck a ranch three miles north of the Texas border that destroyed a shed and carried a trampoline one-quarter mile. Golf ball- to tennis ball-size hail was reported farther north along State Highway 128 by a trucking company that suspended transportation along the highway until the storm turned south. High winds ripped a carport from a home in Lovington. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennett | - | A maximum wind gust of 58 MPH was recorded at the CWOP site, FW9689 Jal. This was likely due to a microburst with a significant temperature drop coinciding with this gust. Time is estimated from radar and observations. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennett | - | The Mesonet station FW9688 Jal recorded a 70 mph wind gust. The time of occurrence is partially estimated by radar. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennett | - | A thunderstorm produced a 60 mph wind gust 21 miles west of Bennett, NM. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennett | - | A thunderstorm moved across Lea County and produced a 62 mph wind gust at the mesonet site 14 miles west southwest of Jal. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennett | - | no account filed |
| October 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bennett | - | no account filed |
| October 1998 | Hail | Bennett | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jal | 3.3 miles | 6 | |
| Ochoa | 14.9 miles | 5 | |
| Maypens | 20.4 miles | 6 | |
| Eunice | 25.6 miles | 6 | |
| Jones City | 28.2 miles | 6 | |
| Oil Center | 29.9 miles | 7 | |
| Lea | 35.7 miles | 6 | |
| Warren | 37.5 miles | 5 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 923559. 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.



