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Dexter, New Mexico

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1950 and the latest in 1979. It stands in the Dexter census division. It lies in ZIP code area 88230. The Survey maps it on the Dexter East quadrangle. 1,074 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,465 feet above sea level.

Dexter within Chaves County

Population over time

2 figures

Dexter fell from 1,266 to 1,074 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20101,266
20201,074-192 (-15%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

5 surveys from 9 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

49 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 49 fires within 5 miles of Dexter between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,114 acres in total. 2 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/undetermined26
Equipment and vehicle use8
Debris and open burning6
Smoking4
Natural2
Fireworks2
Misuse of fire by a minor1

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
4 August 2018Natural1.0 acresRoswell Field OfficeJOYCE
17 August 1999Missing data/not specified/undetermined40 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionLINCOLN
7 July 2014Fireworks5.0 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionLINCOLN 2
6 July 1998Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionROCKING
5 July 1993Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.5 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionCAROL
4 July 2015Fireworksunder an acreBitter Lake National Wildlife RefugeHATCHERY COMPLEX
29 July 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreRoswell Field OfficeMM27
25 July 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined8.0 acresRoswell Field OfficeOJIBWA 2

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Chaves County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Dexter: 1 unknown. None of them 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
Dexter PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown

Every working recorded in Chaves County

Storms near this place

38 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dexter in 38 storm reports between 1997 and 2024: 23 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 1 tornado. The reports record 1 death. 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
July 2011Thunderstorm WindDexter1 killed, $15,000The roof of a barn collapsed and killed an elderly man.
May 2021Flash FloodDexter$500,000Two to four inches of rainfall in a short period of time caused flash flooding in Dexter with multiple roads flooded. The extent of the damages are unknown and are roughly estimated for the unknown amount of businesses and homes inundated.
May 2021HailDexter$100,000Storm chasers and trained spotters reported very large hail ranging from one to three inches from a severe thunderstorm near Midway. The largest hailstones reported were 3 inches along U.S. Highway 285 which broke an unknown number of vehicle windshields. The strong inflow and outflow winds from the thunderstorm also produced low visibility from dust in the area. Damages are estimated for the unknown amount of broken windshields.
October 2019Flash FloodDexter$60,000Torrential rainfall over southern Chaves County led to flash flooding and large areas of ponding water over many roadways from near Dexter south to Hagerman. An observer a few miles west of Lake Arthur along Walnut Creek reported a whopping 6.50 of rain in 24 hours. State Road 2 was closed between Darby and Orchard Park roads, State Road 267 was closed between mile markers 11 and 15, U.S. Highway 285 was closed at Chikashaw Road, and State Road 409 was closed along the entire section leading to Bottomless State Park due to falling rocks and high water. Several roads were also closed throughout the community of Dexter. At least two vehicles were inundated in flood waters and motorists had to be rescued by emergency personnel. Fortunately, no one was injured during this flooding event. Damage amounts are estimated for total losses to two vehicles.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindDexter$35,000A mobile home, four miles east of Midway, was rolled over by strong winds.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindDexter$30,000A large carport collapsed onto 2 vehicles at the U.S. Wildlife fish hatchery near Dexter.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindDexter$25,000Spotter passed along pictures of half a mobile home that was overturned near Dexter as it was being transported to Alto. The mobile home became completely detached from the towing truck, resulting in damage to siding and roof. This was a high-profile vehicle traveling along U.S. Highway 285. The other half avoided any issues.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindDexter$15,000Multiple trees and power lines were knocked down from the strong wind gusts.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindDexter$10,000A severe thunderstorm near Dexter produced very strong winds that caused thunderstorm damage in the area. A storm chaser reported that the severe winds bent a power pole along U.S. Highway 285. Damages are estimated for the loss of the power pole.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindDexter$7,500A tree fell on a mobile home, destroying its roof.
June 2014HailDexter$5,000Large hail broke windows.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindDexter$2,500Large tree limbs were downed from strong winds in the Dexter area.
November 2024Flash FloodDexter-U.S. Highway 285 and State Road 2 (Old Dexter Highway) in and around Dexter were impassible due to flood water moving across the respective roadways. Additionally, the neighborhood area near Ken Road west of U.S. Highway 285 was under 2 to 3 feet of water. Flooding also occurred in fields along U.S. Highway 285 at East Ottawa Road inundating the highway.
May 2023HailDexter-Half dollar size hail was reported in Dexter, NM.
July 2023HailDexter-A thunderstorm moving southeast produced quarter sized hail at the Roswell Correctional Facility.
May 2021HailDexter-A trained spotter near Dexter reported 1.5 inch hail from a supercell thunderstorm tracking eastward through the area.
April 2019HailDexter-Quarter size hail on the north side of Dexter.
April 2019HailDexter-Quarter size hail on the north side of Dexter.
June 2019HailDexter-Quarter size hail several miles west of Dexter.
April 2017HailDexter-Hail up to the size of quarters at the Roswell Correctional Facility.
April 2017HailDexter-Nickel size hail.
May 2014Thunderstorm WindDexter-Bottomless Lake State Park estimated wind gusts between 50 and 60mph as storm passed with pea size hail.
May 2013HailDexter-Hail began at the Roswell Correctional Facility around 330am and grew to the size of ping pong balls at 340am and remained severe for several minutes afterward.
June 2010HailDexter-Hail ranged from pea to quarter size.
March 2007HailDexter-Large hail over Dexter as storm moves north.
June 2010HailDexter-no account filed
June 2007Thunderstorm WindDexter-no account filed
May 2005HailDexter-no account filed
May 2005Thunderstorm WindDexter-no account filed
May 2005HailDexter-no account filed
June 2005HailDexter-no account filed
May 2004HailDexter-no account filed
May 2004HailDexter-no account filed
April 2004HailDexter-no account filed
April 2004Tornado (F0)Dexter-no account filed
October 2004HailDexter-no account filed
May 1999HailDexter-no account filed
June 1997HailDexter-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Chaves 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
Lake Van0.9 miles9
Greenfield2.5 miles9
Chisum5.1 miles9
Hagerman6.2 miles8
Blackdom (historical)7.6 miles8
Midway7.9 miles9
Mossman9.9 miles8
East Grand Plains10.1 miles9

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on DexterAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q116445The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 888359. 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.