Doña Ana County, New Mexico
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 35013 · population 218,940 · 3,808 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 915 records for Doña Ana County, New Mexico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 454 days; the most frequent are drought records (310 records). 547 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 most damaging was the September 13, 2006 hail ($15.4 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 10 declarations naming the county since 1972, 8 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides” on July 22, 2025.
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
- 915on 454 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 010 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $50Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 13strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 10latest 2025
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 Doña Ana County most?
The most frequent records are drought records: 310 since 2011. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 310 | 118 | 2011-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 of 33 |
| High wind and dust storms | 208 | 107 | 1998-2026 | 0 | 3 | $3.0M | 20 of 33 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 124 | 84 | 1959-2026 | 0 | 0 | $446K | 12 of 33 |
| Hail | 117 | 67 | 1956-2025 | 0 | 0 | $27M | 20 of 33 |
| Floods | 99 | 83 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 1 | $17M | 5 of 33 |
| Winter storms | 20 | 15 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 32 of 33 |
| Heavy rain | 14 | 10 | 2010-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 of 33 |
| Tornadoes | 13 | 13 | 1959-2011 | 0 | 0 | $779K | 18 of 33 |
| Heat | 4 | 1 | 2023-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 of 33 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 2 | 2011-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 27 of 33 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 2 | 2 | 2016-2020 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 33 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2014-2014 | 0 | 6 | – | 20 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 Doña Ana County had?
NOAA records 13 tornadoes in Doña Ana County from 1959 to 2011, the strongest rated F1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. 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 13 tornadoes whose track touched Doña Ana County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 13, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in New Mexico.
Every tornado record filed for Doña Ana County (13)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-07-13 | Strauss, Doña Ana County | EF0 0.42 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-05-02 | Condron Airport, Doña Ana County | EF0 5.38 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-04-29 | Las Cruces, Doña Ana County | EF0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-09-13 | Las Cruces, Doña Ana County | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002-08-02 | Organ, Doña Ana County | F0 1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-06-19 | Las Cruces, Doña Ana County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1989-07-28 | Doña Ana County | F1 4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988-09-22 | Doña Ana County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1987-07-22 | Doña Ana County | F0 5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1979-07-31 | Doña Ana County | F1 2 mi x 333 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1972-09-19 | Doña Ana County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1966-09-07 | Doña Ana County | F0 0.7 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1959-07-29 | Doña Ana County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $3K 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 Doña Ana County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 14, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-14 | Heavy RainStrauss, Doña Ana County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-14 | Flash FloodPicacho, Doña Ana County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindLa Union, Doña Ana County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindKenzin, Doña Ana County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindWhite Sands, Doña Ana County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindStrauss, Doña Ana County | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-03 | Flash FloodFairacres, Doña Ana County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-03 | Flash FloodUniversity Park, Doña Ana County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-03 | Thunderstorm WindCondron Airport, Doña Ana County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtSierra County and 2 more · forecast zone West Central Tularosa Basin/White Sands | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-25 | Thunderstorm WindWhite Sands, Doña Ana County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-25 | Thunderstorm WindWhite Sands, Doña Ana County | 52 kt wind | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-08-19 | LightningFairacres, Doña Ana County Six people, including several middle school football players were injured from the initial lightning strike from a nearby thunderstorm. No fatalities occurred with this lightning strike, but one student who was closest to the strike suffered significant injuries and was in the hospital for over a week. | 0 | 6 | – | |
| 2009-12-08 | High WindDoña Ana County and Otero County · forecast zone Tularosa Basin/Southern Desert Peak wind gust reported was 83 mph at the KE28 AWOS site located 19 miles west-northwest of Holloman Air Force Base. Roof was tore off of the Directorate of Plans Training Mobilization and Security building on the White Sands Missile Range. Two persons were treated for minor injuries from falling debris. Other damage ... | 72 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $2.8M |
| 2015-11-16 | High WindDoña Ana County · forecast zone Southern Dona Ana County/Mesilla Valley Wind gusts up to 76 mph were reported about 5 miles south of Organ. Other reports across the zone included 60 mph at Dripping Springs and 58 mph at the Las Cruces Airport. A sign at Big 5 Sporting Goods was damaged by the wind as well and a piece landed on a customer's head which lead to that person being transported ... | 66 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $2K |
| 2013-08-15 | Flash FloodLizard, Doña Ana County Dona Ana Emergency Manager reported a water rescue was necessary in Sunland Park due to flooding with one person transported to an El Paso hospital with unknown injuries. | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-09-13 | HailMesilla, Doña Ana County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $15M |
| 2006-08-15 | Flash FloodHatch, Doña Ana County | 0 | 0 | $6.6M | |
| 1997-06-07 | HailLas Cruces, Doña Ana County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $6.4M |
| 2006-08-01 | Flash FloodSouth Portion, Doña Ana County | 0 | 0 | $4.5M | |
| 2004-04-03 | HailAnthony, Doña Ana County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $3.1M |
| 2009-12-08 | High WindDoña Ana County and Otero County · forecast zone Tularosa Basin/Southern Desert | 72 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $2.8M |
| 2004-06-03 | HailLas Cruces Airport, Doña Ana County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 2005-09-06 | Flash FloodLas Cruces, Doña Ana County | 0 | 0 | $1.5M |
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: July 22, 1987 (tornado, Doña Ana County).
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 Doña Ana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 134 | 176 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 10 | 109 z | 85 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 42 |
| Hail | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 33 | 54 | 6 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 3 | 40 | 28 | 28 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
High wind and dust storms in the 2010s: 109 records against 10 in the decade before, 109 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 Doña Ana 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 Doña Ana County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 48 · Feb 72 · Mar 81 · Apr 80 · May 82 · Jun 99 · Jul 126 · Aug 91 · Sep 82 · Oct 68 · Nov 37 · Dec 49 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Doña Ana County
FEMA's register lists 10 declarations that include Doña Ana County: 7 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (3) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-22 | DR-4886 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2020-04-05 | DR-4529 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3460 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2013-10-29 | DR-4152 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2006-08-30 | DR-1659 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3229 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2000-05-13 | DR-1329 | Fire | Severe Forest Fire |
| 2000-05-10 | EM-3154 | Fire | Severe Fire Threats |
| 1999-09-22 | DR-1301 | Severe Storm | Severe Ice Storms, Flooding and Heavy Rains |
| 1972-09-20 | DR-353 | Flood | Heavy Rains & 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 Doña Ana County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 99 flood or flash flood records for Doña Ana County from 1996 to 2026, on 83 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Doña Ana County ranks 918th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina | 2005-09-06 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.9 million on 208 claims filed in Doña Ana County; the most in one year was 66 in 2006. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 12 · 1979: 1 · 1986: 1 · 1987: 1 · 1988: 4 · 1991: 1 · 1994: 7 · 1996: 1 · 1997: 7 · 1998: 2 · 2000: 13 · 2001: 2 · 2002: 3 · 2004: 3 · 2005: 4 · 2006: 66 · 2008: 12 · 2009: 2 · 2010: 13 · 2011: 3 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 5 · 2014: 7 · 2015: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2017: 12 · 2018: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 1; 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 Doña Ana County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Doña Ana County Relatively High overall, with an expected annual loss of $164 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Very High | $828K | 2.4 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Very High | $2.0M | 52 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively High | $11M | 74 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $133M | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively High | $2.7M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $4.4M | 4.4 modeled event-days a year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | $4.9M | once in about 661 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.2M | once in about 9 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Doña Ana 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
- Drought in New MexicoThe state's drought 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 Doña Ana CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Doña Ana County's FEMA declarations (CSV)10 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis