Colfax County, New Mexico
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 35007 · population 12,360 · 3,758 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,904 records for Colfax County, New Mexico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 994 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (530 records). 1,471 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the January 17, 2019 avalanche, filed for the forecast zone Northern Sangre De Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet/Red River, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 18 declarations naming the county since 1965, 16 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Wildfires, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Mudflows, and Debris Flows” on May 4, 2022.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 1,904on 994 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 982 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $177Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 22strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 18latest 2022
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Colfax County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 530 since 1996. The rank column places the county among New Mexico's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 530 | 315 | 1996-2026 | 2 | 3 | $385K | 7 of 33 |
| Drought | 486 | 162 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 33 |
| High wind and dust storms | 405 | 252 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $5.3M | 9 of 33 |
| Hail | 302 | 200 | 1956-2025 | 0 | 4 | $11M | 10 of 33 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 54 | 46 | 1958-2026 | 0 | 3 | $263K | 16 of 33 |
| Floods | 38 | 37 | 1998-2026 | 2 | 7 | $3.2M | 18 of 33 |
| Tornadoes | 22 | 17 | 1960-2023 | 1 | 48 | $6.2M | 13 of 33 |
| Wildfires | 18 | 17 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 13 | $151M | 11 of 33 |
| Extreme cold | 17 | 10 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 9 of 33 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 16 | 13 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 33 |
| Heat | 7 | 4 | 1998-2017 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 33 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 5 | 5 | 2006-2023 | 2 | 1 | $2K | 3 of 33 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 1998-2014 | 1 | 3 | – | 10 of 33 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2014-2014 | 0 | 0 | – | 29 of 33 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Colfax County had?
NOAA records 22 tornadoes in Colfax County from 1960 to 2023, the strongest rated F3, with 1 death and 48 injuries recorded in the county. That is 13th of 33 New Mexico counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 22 tornadoes whose track touched Colfax County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 22, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-05-29 13:03, as SPC files it | Maxwell | F3 | 3 mi | 1 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in New Mexico.
Every tornado record filed for Colfax County (22)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-15 | Abbott, Colfax County | EFU 0.65 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-05-28 | Maxwell, Colfax County | EF0 0.52 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-05-28 | Maxwell, Colfax County | EF0 0.56 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-08-09 | Idlewild, Colfax County | EF0 2.27 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $353K |
| 2017-05-10 | Yankee, Colfax County | EF0 1.66 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-06-08 | Maxwell, Colfax County | EF0 1.08 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-06-08 | Springer, Colfax County | EF0 1.39 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-06-06 | Abbott, Colfax County | EF0 0.85 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-06-16 | Raton, Colfax County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-06-04 | Raton, Colfax County | F0 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-10-11 | Maxwell, Colfax County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-10-11 | Raton, Colfax County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-10-11 | Cimarron, Colfax County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-10-11 | Cimarron, Colfax County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-07-25 | Cimarron, Colfax County | F2 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 5 | $3.2M |
| 1992-08-17 | Colfax County | F1 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1991-07-03 | Colfax County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1977-06-01 | Colfax County | 0 | 1 | $3K step | |
| 1971-07-27 | Colfax County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1969-05-16 | Colfax County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1964-05-29 | Colfax County | F3 3 mi x 33 yd | 1 | 8 | $250K step |
| 1960-06-25 | Colfax County | F0 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 34 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Colfax County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 24, 2026 flash flood ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindRaton Crews Airport, Colfax County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Flash FloodRaton, Colfax County | 0 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2026-06-13 | Thunderstorm WindRaton Crews Airport, Colfax County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtColfax County and Mora County · forecast zone Far Northeast Highlands | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtColfax County and Union County · forecast zone Johnson And Bartlett Mesas Including Raton Pass | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtColfax County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtColfax County and 5 more · forecast zone Southern Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtColfax County and Taos County · forecast zone Northern Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-24 | Thunderstorm WindRaton Crews Airport, Colfax County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtColfax County and Mora County · forecast zone Far Northeast Highlands | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtColfax County and Union County · forecast zone Johnson And Bartlett Mesas Including Raton Pass | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtColfax County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-01-17 | AvalancheColfax County and Taos County · forecast zone Northern Sangre De Cristo Mountains Above 9500 Feet/Red River An avalanche at Taos Ski Valley at 11:30 am on January 17, 2019 took the lives of two skiers. 26-year old Matthew Zonghetti died at a hospital in Taos, NM later in the day on January 17, 2019 and 22-year old Corey Borg died at the UNM Medical Center in Albuquerque, NM on January 21, 2019. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1964-05-29 | TornadoColfax County | F3 3 mi x 33 yd | 1 | 8 | $250K step |
| 2015-06-27 | Flash FloodEagle Nest, Colfax County New Mexico Department of Transportation closed US Highway 64 as heavy rain caused debris, boulders and a mud slide to cover several miles of the road. Philmont Scout Ranch also reported major flash flooding on the Ponil Creek basin that ran through a boy scout camp site in the nearby mountains. The flooding washed ... | 1 | 3 | $62K | |
| 2014-05-22 | LightningCimarron, Colfax County State police reported that a man was struck by lightning and killed while riding his motorcycle along U.S. Highway 84 just west of Cimarron at mile post 308 Friday afternoon. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2013-03-03 | Strong WindColfax County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Of The Sangre De Cristo Mountains Wind gust to 54mph at the Angel Fire airport lead to an aircraft accident with 4 fatalities. | 47 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $127K |
| 2007-11-23 | Heavy SnowColfax County and 4 more · forecast zone Sangre De Cristo Mountains Eleven reports were received, mostly from co-op observers, ranging from 2 to 13 inches of snow. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-05-23 | FloodColfax County and 4 more · forecast zone Sangre De Cristo Mountains Some of the highest water levels in years were recorded on northern New Mexico streams and rivers as near record temperatures sent a wave of snow melt runoff into the watersheds of the upper Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers while heavy snowmelt from Colorado filled the Animas River at Farmington. This season's heavier snow ... | 1 | 0 | $45K | |
| 1997-01-11 | Winter StormColfax County and 4 more · forecast zone Sangre De Cristo Mountains The second winter storm in less than a week dumped another 20 to 45 inches of fresh snow across northern New Mexico in a period of 48 to 72 hours. Storm totals included 29 inches at Chama, 30 inches at Brazos Lodge, and nearly 4 feet of new snow at the ski resorts in Taos county. One man died of exposure near Embudo ... | 1 | 0 | – |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-01 | WildfireColfax County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 0 | 3 | $101M | |
| 2022-04-19 | WildfireColfax County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 0 | 0 | $25M | |
| 2022-05-01 | WildfireColfax County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 0 | 10 | $11M | |
| 1993-08-02 | HailSpringer, Colfax County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $10M |
| 2022-04-06 | WildfireColfax County and 2 more · forecast zone East Slopes Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 0 | 0 | $10M | |
| 2011-06-12 | WildfireColfax County and Union County · forecast zone Raton Ridge/Johnson Mesa | 0 | 0 | $3.3M | |
| 1996-07-25 | TornadoCimarron, Colfax County | F2 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 5 | $3.2M |
| 2021-12-15 | High WindColfax County and Taos County · forecast zone Northern Sangre De Cristo Mountains | 90 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.7M |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 29, 1964 (tornado, Colfax County, 1 killed).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Colfax County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 67 | 113 | 232 | 118 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 12 | 54 | 233 z | 187 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 18 | 59 | 171 | 157 |
| Hail | 3 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 52 | 93 | 87 | 50 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 23 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 3 | 5 | 23 | 7 |
Drought in the 2010s: 233 records against 54 in the decade before, 233 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Colfax County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Colfax County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 178 · Feb 224 · Mar 227 · Apr 186 · May 162 · Jun 226 · Jul 126 · Aug 113 · Sep 51 · Oct 86 · Nov 142 · Dec 183 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Colfax County
FEMA's register lists 18 declarations that include Colfax County: 7 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 7 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (9) and flood (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-04 | DR-4652 | Fire | Wildfires, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Mudflows, and Debris Flows |
| 2022-04-28 | FM-5437 | Fire | Cook's Peak Fire |
| 2020-04-05 | DR-4529 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3460 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-06-01 | FM-5239 | Fire | Ute Park Fire |
| 2014-10-29 | DR-4199 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2013-10-29 | DR-4152 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2013-09-30 | DR-4148 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2011-06-12 | FM-2918 | Fire | Track Fire |
| 2006-06-21 | FM-2647 | Fire | Rivera Mesa Fire |
| 2006-03-01 | FM-2631 | Fire | Casa Fire |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3229 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2002-06-06 | FM-2416 | Fire | Nm-Ponil Fire-06/02/02 |
| 2002-06-04 | FM-2414 | Fire | Nm-Turkey Fire-6-2-02 |
| 2000-05-10 | EM-3154 | Fire | Severe Fire Threats |
| 1977-03-02 | EM-3034 | Drought | Drought |
| 1973-05-11 | DR-380 | Flood | Severe Storms, Snow Melt & Flooding |
| 1965-07-01 | DR-202 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Colfax County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 38 flood or flash flood records for Colfax County from 1998 to 2026, on 37 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Colfax County ranks 2436th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $13,000 on 8 claims filed in Colfax County; the most in one year was 2 in 2008. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1984: 1 · 1986: 1 · 1987: 1 · 2000: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2006: 1 · 2008: 2; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Colfax County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Colfax County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $12.6 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | $639K | 68 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $182K | 20 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $5.7M | once in about 184 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $6K | 1.9 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $5.4M | 1.2 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $112K | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $40K | 163 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $220K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Colfax County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in New MexicoEvery New Mexico tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in New MexicoThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The New Mexico recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Colfax CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Colfax County's FEMA declarations (CSV)18 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis