PlainHazard

New Mexico heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 32 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 102 heat records in New Mexico from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 8.8 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 17, 2017 heat in Roosevelt County: 1 death and 1 injury. New Mexico ranks 41st of 51 states and territories by count and 45th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in New Mexico, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
1021996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
8.8average
Deaths
42 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
200044 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in New Mexico?

New Mexico averages about 8.8 heat records a year since 2000, 41st of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2000 (44). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Mexico records 8.4 heat records since 1996, 45th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 45. New Mexico 8.4

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in New Mexico have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Valencia County leads New Mexico: 8 days with a heat record since 1996, 7.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Sandoval County has the most heat records (18 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Valencia County 7.5 (12)
  2. Bernalillo County 6.9 (12)
  3. Curry County 2.8 (4)
  4. Sandoval County 2.2 (18)
  5. Santa Fe County 2.1 (13)
  6. Mora County 2.1 (7)
  7. Roosevelt County 2.0 (5)
  8. Quay County 1.7 (5)
  9. Harding County 1.4 (3)
  10. Taos County 1.4 (3)
  11. De Baca County 1.3 (3)
  12. Torrance County 1.2 (8)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in New Mexico?

82% of its heat records since 1996 fell in May and June. The busiest month is May (44 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 1 · Apr 0 · May 44 · Jun 40 · Jul 14 · Aug 2 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 1 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in New Mexico?

New Mexico: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-07-17 HeatRoosevelt County · forecast zone Roosevelt County An infant and a toddler were left in a hot car for nearly 90 minutes in Portales, NM while temperatures outside were in the middle 90s. The infant died at a nearby hospital and the other is in critical condition at a hospital in Lubbock, TX. 1 1 –
2012-08-06 HeatBernalillo County and 2 more · forecast zone Albuquerque Metro Area An Albuquerque toddler died Monday afternoon after being left inside a car for at least 8 hours. The boy was found Monday afternoon inside the car and was pronounced dead later at the hospital. High temperature recorded at the Albuquerque International Sunport was 93F. 1 0 –
2010-07-14 HeatBernalillo County and 2 more · forecast zone Albuquerque Metro Area A 2-year-old died after being left in a hot car for almost four hours at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. By noon MST, the outside air temperature was 93 degrees which may have resulted in temperatures exceeding 135 degrees in the vehicle. 1 0 –
1998-11-11 HeatFarmington, San Juan County A 37 year old man was found dead in an open field near Farmington. Overnight low temperature was near 18 degrees. 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in New Mexico?

New Mexico's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: New Mexico and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeNew MexicoUnited StatesNew Mexico's share
1996-99234,3550.53%
2000s449,1630.48%
2010s2016,4450.12%
2020-261526,7960.06%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in New Mexico

The 5 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-07-17 HeatRoosevelt County · forecast zone Roosevelt County 1 1 –
2013-06-10 HeatBernalillo County and 2 more · forecast zone Albuquerque Metro Area 0 1 –
2012-08-06 HeatBernalillo County and 2 more · forecast zone Albuquerque Metro Area 1 0 –
2010-07-14 HeatBernalillo County and 2 more · forecast zone Albuquerque Metro Area 1 0 –
1998-11-11 HeatFarmington, San Juan County 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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