BlockBefore

Tolar, New Mexico

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1973. It stands in the Elida census division. It lies in ZIP code area 88134. The Survey maps it on the Tolar quadrangle.

Tolar within Roosevelt County

Topographic sheets covering this place

3 surveys from 7 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.

Photographs

3 photographs, 1943

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Tolar, New Mexico. Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad train between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico stopping for water. A brakeman walking the length of the train for inspection
Tolar, New Mexico. Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad train between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico stopping for water. A brakeman walking the length of the train for inspection
Delano, Jack, 1943. Library of Congress
Tolar, New Mexico. Passing an east bound freight train along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico
Tolar, New Mexico. Passing an east bound freight train along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico
Delano, Jack, 1943. Library of Congress
Tolar, New Mexico. Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad train between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico stopping for water. A brakeman walking the length of the train for inspection
Tolar, New Mexico. Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad train between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico stopping for water. A brakeman walking the length of the train for inspection
Delano, Jack, 1943. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

33 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 33 fires within 5 miles of Tolar between 1993 and 2018, burning about 6,464 acres in total. 13 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
Natural13
Missing data/not specified/undetermined10
Equipment and vehicle use8
Smoking1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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
30 September 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionBROCKMAN
16 September 2010Natural30 acresCapitan DistrictBUTTS
14 September 2004Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionGOLF CART
6 August 2016Natural1.0 acresCapitan DistrictCEDAR POST
4 August 2011Natural299 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionDAVIS
3 August 2011Natural80 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionNORTH WOODY
27 August 2016Natural10 acresCapitan DistrictWEST DIAMOND TRAIL
14 August 2012Natural350 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionGRIDER

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Roosevelt 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 Tolar: 1 past producer. 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
Unnamed Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Roosevelt County

Storms near this place

33 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Tolar in 33 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 17 thunderstorm wind, 12 hail, 2 heavy rain, 1 funnel cloud. 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 2021Thunderstorm WindTolar$1,000A trained spotter near Tolar estimated 60 mph wind gusts from a severe thunderstorm that tracked through the area. The severe winds broke approximately three inch diameter branches off of a tree. Damages are estimated for tree damage.
June 2025HailTolar-A trained spotter along U.S. 60 and 84 a few miles east of Taiban observed nickel to quarter size hail from a severe thunderstorm.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindTolar-A weakening severe thunderstorm resulted in a peak wind gust of 61 mph at the Melrose Gunnery Range AWOS.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindTolar-The Melrose Gunnery Range station recorded a peak wind gust of 72 mph and sustained winds of 53 mph from a wet microburst.
October 2024Thunderstorm WindTolar-A nearby severe thunderstorm produced a 60 mph wind gust at Melrose Air Force Range.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindTolar-The Melrose Gunnery weather station measured a peak thunderstorm wind gust of 69 mph.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindTolar-The Melrose AWOS station measured a 59 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindTolar-The Melrose Bombing Range reported peak wind gusts up to 68 mph.
August 2018Thunderstorm WindTolar-Melrose Bombing Range reported a peak wind gust up to 60 mph.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindTolar-Melrose Range.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindTolar-The Melrose Range RAWS site reported winds as high as 85 mph. Major damage occurred at the Melrose Bombing Range.
August 2017Thunderstorm WindTolar-Melrose Range peak wind gust to 60 mph.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindTolar-Wind gust at least 60 mph with damage to small tree limbs.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindTolar-Peak wind gust up to 60 mph near Tolar. A couple tree limbs between three and four inches in diameter were broken.
May 2016HailTolar-Penny size hail along State Road 89.
September 2016Tornado (EF0)Tolar-A nearby resident reported a loud, distant roaring sound over the Melrose Bombing Range where radar indicated very intense rotation. A storm survey of this extremely remote location later revealed a 2000 pound mobile office trailer that was bolted and strapped down was lifted and moved eight to ten inches.
May 2015Heavy RainTolar-Thunderstorms produced 3.5 inches of rainfall in less than 24 hours near Tolar. No official reports of flash flooding were received.
May 2015HailTolar-Spotter reported marble to half dollar sized hail fell from severe storm.
October 2015HailTolar-Nickel size hail near Tolar.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindTolar-The Melrose RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
July 2014Heavy RainTolar-A trained spotter near Tolar reported 4.30 inches of rainfall overnight.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindTolar-Wind gust was recorded by the K4MR AWOS at the Melrose gunnery range.
March 2013Thunderstorm WindTolar-Melrose range RAWS site reported peak wind gust to 60 mph.
October 1998Funnel CloudTolar-Funnel cloud reported by airforce meteorologist from Melrose Bombing Range.
October 2015HailTolar-no account filed
October 2015HailTolar-no account filed
February 2009HailTolar-no account filed
June 2008Thunderstorm WindTolar-no account filed
May 2005HailTolar-no account filed
April 2003HailTolar-no account filed
August 2002HailTolar-no account filed
June 1998HailTolar-no account filed
October 1998HailTolar-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Roosevelt 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
Krider4.8 miles7
Cantara10.2 miles7
Benson (historical)18.8 miles7
Floyd24.8 miles7
Ingram (historical)25.1 miles6
Upton25.2 miles6
Bethel28.7 miles8
Delphos34.8 miles8

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 899957. 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.