Roswell, New Mexico Power Outage Today

How reliable is Xcel Energy service in Roswell?

Xcel Energy is an investor-owned utility with 118,975 customers. In 2024 its customers averaged 1.24 interruptions and 152 minutes (about 2.5 hours) without power, so the average outage lasted about 2.1 hours.

Little of that came from major storms (about 11%). Without major event days the average is still 135 minutes, so the figure mostly reflects everyday faults: failed equipment, tree limbs, animals and vehicles hitting poles.

The typical outage was repaired in about 2.1 hours.

For comparison, New Mexico as a whole averaged 279 minutes and the United States 614 minutes. That puts Xcel Energy below the state average, which is better.

Among the 13 utilities in New Mexico with at least 5,000 customers that report to the federal government, Xcel Energy ranks 5th for the fewest outage minutes (1 is best). Nationally, 57% of the 926 utilities of that size reported more outage minutes in 2024.

These are the figures the utility itself reported to the US Energy Information Administration (Form EIA-861, 2024) and describe the whole service territory, not one street. Your own address can be better or worse.

Storm season and outages in Roswell

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 204 storm reports for Chaves County from 2015 through 2026, most often hail (88), thunderstorm wind (56), flash flood (32), and flood (11). The busiest full year was 2021 with 31 reports and the quietest was 2016 with 9, so the risk changes a lot from one year to the next.

Reports peak in May (63 since 2015), followed by June and October. October is one of the three busiest storm months here, so it is a good time to charge backup batteries and check the flashlights.

NOAA’s own narratives name power outages in 10 storm episodes in Chaves County since 2015, most often in December. That count is a floor, since the database records outages only when a spotter or agency mentions them.

What the most common storm types in Roswell do to the grid:

• Hail. Hail rarely cuts power by itself, but it often arrives with the wind and lightning that do, and it breaks solar panels, windshields and exposed utility equipment.
• Thunderstorm wind. Straight-line wind pushes trees and limbs into distribution lines. These outages are usually local, a street or a neighborhood at a time, and crews clear them circuit by circuit.
• Flash flood. Floodwater reaches ground-level transformers, meters and low-lying substations. Utilities may shut power off ahead of the water on purpose, and wading near flooded equipment can electrocute.

Storm reports that name Roswell

Within Chaves County, 100 NOAA storm reports since 2015 name Roswell as their location or in their description: hail (41), thunderstorm wind (32), flash flood (17), and flood (5). That is about 49% of the county’s reports, so Roswell accounts for much of the county’s storm history. Reports naming Roswell are most common in May. The busiest full year was 2021 with 17. These reports record 2 deaths in total.

In NOAA’s own words, storms that left Roswell without power:

• June 16, 2018 (thunderstorm wind): “Power lines reported down in and around Roswell.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
• August 3, 2015 (thunderstorm wind): “Power lines downed from high winds resulted in power outage at the Roswell Correctional Facility between Hagerman and Dexter.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database

Who a power outage hits hardest in Roswell

50.4% of occupied homes in Roswell are heated with electricity (US 41.3%). In a winter outage those homes lose heat the moment the power fails, and electric furnaces and heat pumps are too large to run from a portable generator. Warm layers, blankets and a plan for where to stay matter more here than in a gas-heated city.

Residents aged 65 or older are 16% of the population in Roswell, close to the US share of 17.2% and 20.8% report a disability (US 13.3%). These are the households most likely to depend on powered medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines and refrigerated medicine. If someone in your home does, ask Xcel Energy whether it keeps a priority or medical-needs list, and register before the next storm rather than during it.

About the housing: 53.6% of the housing in Roswell was built before 1970 (US 35.5%), and older neighborhoods often have overhead service lines and mature trees close to the wires, which makes them more exposed to storm outages.

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (housing, heating fuel, age and disability tables).

Backup power and electricity use in Roswell

The average Xcel Energy home used about 996 kWh a month in 2024 (US average 892 kWh), an average draw of 1.4 kW around the clock, and paid about 12.0 cents per kWh (14.2 in the state, 15.8 nationally), roughly $119 a month.

Keeping only the essentials on (a refrigerator, router, a few lights and phone chargers, about 400 watts) through an outage that lasts the average about 2.1 hours takes less than 1 kWh. A portable power station or a power bank covers that; a generator is more than most households here need for a typical outage.

A generator must never run indoors, in a garage or near a window; generator and food-safety rules are in the power outage guide linked below.

If the power is out in Roswell

About 48,066 people live in Roswell, the 5th largest of the 5 New Mexico cities on this site. Report the outage to the utility so a ticket exists for your address, then check Xcel Energy’s outage map for an estimate. If neighbors have power and you do not, report it again: the fault may be on the line to your house alone, which is a separate repair.

Roswell power outage map

Xcel Energy’s outage map has the official restoration estimate for your address; the count above comes from residents. Food and generator safety: power outage guide.

Roswell power outage questions