The Eastern New Mexico News - Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

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Saturday night’s storm tore the roof off of a Curry County farmer’s home and killed at least two calves.

Dean Campbell, 64, said the storm hit sometime after 8 p.m. He said he and his family went to the center hallway of the home as it was being pelted by softball-size hail. Their farm is at N.M. 209 (north Prince Street) and Curry Road 22, north of Ned Houk Park.

Campbell said the noise from the hail was deafening. Glass in windows on the west side of the home began shattering and Campbell said they heard a loud boom as the wind peeled the entire roof from the west side of the home, scattering it several hundred yards to the south and east.link Dean Campbell's roof north of Clovis was ripped off during Saturday night's storm.

No one was injured, he said, although much of the home was flooded. Campbell and his family were still assessing the damage early Sunday morning.

The fierce wind also picked up a large steel cattle feeder Campbell estimated weighs at least a ton and carried it several hundred yards from a field north of the farm and dropped it near his feed lot. The hail also smashed the windshield of one of his pickup trucks.

Large irrigation sprinklers in fields west of the home were flipped upside down by the wind.

Campbell said he has lived in the home since the 1970s and never experienced anything like the Saturday storm. He farms and raises feed cattle, adding the rain is badly needed.

Dean Campbell's roof north of Clovis was ripped off during Saturday night's storm.

"If it means more rain," Campbell said, "I say bring it on. We can handle this."

The Campbells have arranged to temporarily stay with extended family.

The National Weather Service is forecasting scattered showers and thunderstorms again today and tonight. Some storms could be severe, with large hail and damaging winds.

link The National Weather Service is predicting more storms tonight.