BlockBefore

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.

Bennett within Lea County

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 6 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

18 since 1994

Regional 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/undetermined7
Equipment and vehicle use3
Railroad operations and maintenance3
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Smoking1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
13 September 1997Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionBIG MESQUITE
28 June 1994Natural10 acresRoswell Field OfficePETERSON
8 May 2009Power generation/transmission/distribution10 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionMM41
29 May 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined250 acresCarlsbad Field OfficeJC RANCH
10 May 2011Railroad operations and maintenance3.0 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionTRAIN
30 April 2000Misuse of fire by a minor50 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionCHAPPAREL
26 April 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,128 acresCarlsbad Field OfficeFULFER
5 March 1997Missing data/not specified/undetermined40 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionDINWIDDIE 1

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Lea County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 19 shown

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Lea Co. Road Dept. Pit JalSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
State Hwy Pit No. 57-15-SSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Un. Grav PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Un. Grav. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Un. Grav. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Un. Grav. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Un. Grav. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Un. Grav. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Un. Grav. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Un. Grav. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown

Every working recorded in Lea County

Storms near this place

9 since 1995

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 1995Thunderstorm WindBennett$4,000As 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 1995Thunderstorm WindBennett$4,000A 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 2025Thunderstorm WindBennett-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 2025Thunderstorm WindBennett-The Mesonet station FW9688 Jal recorded a 70 mph wind gust. The time of occurrence is partially estimated by radar.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindBennett-A thunderstorm produced a 60 mph wind gust 21 miles west of Bennett, NM.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindBennett-A thunderstorm moved across Lea County and produced a 62 mph wind gust at the mesonet site 14 miles west southwest of Jal.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindBennett-no account filed
October 2023Thunderstorm WindBennett-no account filed
October 1998HailBennett-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Lea County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Jal3.3 miles6
Ochoa14.9 miles5
Maypens20.4 miles6
Eunice25.6 miles6
Jones City28.2 miles6
Oil Center29.9 miles7
Lea35.7 miles6
Warren37.5 miles5

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.