Luna County, New Mexico
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 35029 · population 25,370 · 2,965 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 457 records for Luna County, New Mexico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 256 days; the most frequent are drought records (265 records). 333 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 April 17, 2025 dust storm, filed for the forecast zone Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin, which covers the county: 1 death and 5 injuries. FEMA has issued 7 declarations naming the county since 1999, 5 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms and Flooding” on September 30, 2013.
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
- 457on 256 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 16 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.6Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 4strongest F1
- FEMA declarations
- 7latest 2020
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 Luna County most?
The most frequent records are drought records: 265 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 | 265 | 116 | 2011-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 of 33 |
| High wind and dust storms | 54 | 43 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 5 | – | 31 of 33 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 49 | 44 | 1967-2026 | 0 | 1 | $323K | 14 of 33 |
| Floods | 37 | 35 | 1999-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 16 of 33 |
| Hail | 28 | 20 | 1960-2016 | 0 | 0 | $55K | 27 of 33 |
| Winter storms | 10 | 8 | 1997-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 33 of 33 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 5 | 2010-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 33 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 4 | 1971-2019 | 0 | 0 | $2K | 25 of 33 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 2 | 2011-2025 | 0 | 0 | $33K | 25 of 33 |
| Heat | 2 | 1 | 2023-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 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 Luna County had?
NOAA records 4 tornadoes in Luna County from 1971 to 2019, 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 4 tornadoes whose track touched Luna County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 4, 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 Luna County (4)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-10-08 | Hermanas, Luna County | EFU 0.18 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-10-09 | Deming, Luna County | F1 1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1975-07-18 | Luna County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1971-08-09 | Luna County | F1 0.1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 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 Luna County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 17, 2025 dust storm (1 death and 5 injuries).
Widespread dust swept across Luna county causing near zero visibilities, several accidents including 5 injuries and 1 fatality were reported. Two separate wrecks occurred on Interstate 10 between mile markers 93 and 94 due to dust. One of these wrecks caused a fatality. Another wreck was reported on NM-549 near mile marker nine which caused 4 injuries.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1250672)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-17 | Thunderstorm WindDeming Airport, Luna County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtGrant County and 2 more · forecast zone Eastern Black Range Foothills | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southern Gila Foothills/Mimbres Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtGrant County and 2 more · forecast zone Eastern Black Range Foothills | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southern Gila Foothills/Mimbres Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-26 | High WindGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtGrant County and 2 more · forecast zone Eastern Black Range Foothills | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southern Gila Foothills/Mimbres Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtGrant County and 2 more · forecast zone Eastern Black Range Foothills | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-17 | Dust StormGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin Widespread dust swept across Luna county causing near zero visibilities, several accidents including 5 injuries and 1 fatality were reported. Two separate wrecks occurred on Interstate 10 between mile markers 93 and 94 due to dust. One of these wrecks caused a fatality. Another wreck was reported on NM-549 near mile ... | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 1986-10-05 | Thunderstorm WindLuna County | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-07-12 | Flash FloodDeming, Luna County | 0 | 0 | $548K | |
| 2005-08-12 | Flash FloodDeming, Luna County | 0 | 0 | $302K | |
| 1997-09-20 | Thunderstorm WindNutt, Luna County | 0 | 0 | $74K | |
| 2013-07-23 | Thunderstorm WindColumbus, Luna County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $13K |
| 1993-01-08 | Thunderstorm WindDmn, Luna County | 0 | 0 | $10K |
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 $250, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 9, 1971 (tornado, Luna 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 Luna 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 | 99 | 166 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 4 | 14 | 33 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 11 | 5 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 18 | 9 | 8 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 0 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
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 Luna County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 28 · Feb 35 · Mar 36 · Apr 43 · May 38 · Jun 45 · Jul 72 · Aug 49 · Sep 37 · Oct 32 · Nov 20 · Dec 22 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Luna County
FEMA's register lists 7 declarations that include Luna County: 4 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (3) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-05 | DR-4529 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3460 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2013-09-30 | DR-4148 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2006-08-30 | DR-1659 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3229 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2000-05-10 | EM-3154 | Fire | Severe Fire Threats |
| 1999-09-22 | DR-1301 | Severe Storm | Severe Ice Storms, Flooding and Heavy Rains |
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 Luna County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 37 flood or flash flood records for Luna County from 1999 to 2025, on 35 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Luna County ranks 2636th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $151,000 on 4 claims filed in Luna County; the most in one year was 2 in 1999. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1999: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2017: 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 Luna County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Luna County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $11.0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | $3.0M | 117 modeled event-days a year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 3.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $230K | 52 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $335K | once in about 1,206 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $58K | 2.6 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $5.5M | 1.1 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $513K | once in about 10 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $222K | once in about 778 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Luna 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 Luna CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Luna County's FEMA declarations (CSV)7 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis