New Mexico high wind and dust storms
Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 33 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,278 high wind and dust records in New Mexico from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 154 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the May 1, 1999 high wind in Chaves County: 7 deaths. New Mexico ranks 8th of 52 states and territories by count and 29th of 51 per square mile.
High wind and dust storms in New Mexico, 1996 to 2026
Wind 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
- 4,2781996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 154average
- Deaths
- 20142 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $49Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2025399 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 high wind and dust records common in New Mexico?
New Mexico averages about 154 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 8th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (399). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Mexico records 353 high wind and dust records since 1996, 29th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
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 high wind and dust records?
Per square mile, Los Alamos County leads New Mexico: 37 days with a high wind record since 1996, 339.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, San Miguel County has the most wind records (693 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).
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 windy season in New Mexico?
44% of its high wind and dust records since 1996 fell in March and April. The busiest month is April (970 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 338 · Feb 709 · Mar 903 · Apr 970 · May 287 · Jun 143 · Jul 30 · Aug 18 · Sep 32 · Oct 127 · Nov 286 · Dec 435 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in New Mexico?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-05-01 | High WindChaves County · forecast zone Guadalupe Mountains Of Chaves County / X Sw Chaves High winds were blamed in a fatal travel trailer-church bus accident in southwest Chaves County that claimed 7 lives. State Police concluded that winds of 50-55 mph swept a truck pulling a travel trailer into the opposing lane and slicing into an on-coming bus filled with teenagers returning from a church retreat. One ... | 7 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-05-24 | Strong WindBernalillo County and 2 more · forecast zone Albuquerque Metro Area Cherry picker crane carrying several individuals at Cochiti Road and Dorothy Street was toppled by an erratic outflow wind gust between 30 and 40 mph. The crane operator and one child were killed on the scene. Three others were injured. One of the injured children died several days later in the hospital. | 35 kt wind | 3 | 3 | – |
| 2025-02-27 | Dust StormGrant County and Hidalgo County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Lower Gila River Valley Winds gusted over 50 mph at times along the Lordsburg Playa resulting in dust channels that created near zero visibilities. These visibilities affected Interstate 10 and caused an 11 vehicle accident around mile marker 10. The accident and continued reduced visibilities at times kept the interstate closed through much ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-04-17 | Dust StormGrant County and Luna County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong positively tilted trough was moving through the Great Basin. Ahead of this system, gusty southwest winds develop over southern New Mexico and brought areas of blowing dust to Luna, Hidalgo and Otero counties. | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 2024-02-27 | Dust StormChaves County · forecast zone Chaves County Plains Reports from the Dexter Fire Chief, Chaves County Emergency Manager and County Sheriff showed multiple multi-vehicle crashes between Roswell and Hagerman during this time. The relief route between West McGaffey Street and Sunset Place on the southwest side of Roswell was closed due to near zero visibility at 10:25 ... | 1 | 3 | $470K | |
| 2017-07-10 | Dust StormGrant County and Hidalgo County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Lower Gila River Valley Near zero visibilities between mile markers 10 and 12 on Interstate 10 east caused a 4 car pileup. One of the passengers from the initial crash got out of vehicle, and was struck by another vehicle and died. Three others involved in the crash were also injured. | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2003-02-02 | High WindEddy County · forecast zone Guadalupe Mountains Of Eddy County An intense upper level storm system which passed close to West Texas and southeast New Mexico resulted in very strong west winds in the higher elevations of the Guadalupe Mountains. An automated observing site in the Guadalupes recorded a peak wind gust of 99 MPH around 21:00 MST on the 2nd. The high winds blew a ... | 86 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $24K |
| 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 |
| 2009-04-04 | High WindCurry County · forecast zone Curry A wind gust to 58 mph was reported three miles northwest of Texico. A 35 year old man was killed in Clovis when a gust of wind caught a door on a semitrailer and slammed the man into the loading dock wall. He suffered head injuries. | 52 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2016-10-03 | Strong WindLos Alamos County and 2 more · forecast zone Jemez Mountains Woman killed by a falling tree at Bandelier National Monument. | 35 kt wind | 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.
The costliest high wind and dust records in New Mexico
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-13 | High WindQuay County · forecast zone Quay County One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $8.7M |
| 2009-12-08 | High WindOtero County · forecast zone Southern Sacramento Mountains One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 64 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $8.3M |
| 2011-12-01 | High WindBernalillo County and 2 more · forecast zone Albuquerque Metro Area One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 76 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.4M |
| 2021-12-15 | High WindColfax County and Taos County · forecast zone Northern Sangre De Cristo Mountains One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 90 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $3.8M |
| 2023-02-26 | High WindCurry County · forecast zone Curry County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 2012-04-02 | High WindUnion County · forecast zone Union County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 2025-03-18 | Dust StormEddy County · forecast zone Eddy County Plains One storm episode: 25 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2023-02-22 | High WindBernalillo County and 2 more · forecast zone Sandia/Manzano Mountains Including Edgewood | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $969K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are high wind and dust 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.
| Decade | New Mexico | United States | New Mexico's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 145 | 14,026 | 1.0% |
| 2000s | 547 | 37,254 | 1.5% |
| 2010s | 1,868 | 41,748 | 4.5% |
| 2020-26 | 1,718 | 36,300 | 4.7% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent high wind and dust records in New Mexico
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | High WindSan Miguel County and 2 more · forecast zone Central Highlands | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-28 | High WindCatron County and 2 more · forecast zone West Central Plateau | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | High WindCatron County and 2 more · forecast zone West Central Plateau | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-17 | Dust StormGrant County and Hidalgo County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Lower Gila River Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Dust StormGrant County and Hidalgo County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Lower Gila River Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | High WindEddy County · forecast zone Eddy County Plains | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-09 | High WindCatron County and 2 more · forecast zone West Central Plateau | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-05 | Strong WindLea County · forecast zone Central Lea County | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | Dust DevilRio Rancho, Sandoval County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2026-05-18 | High WindSan Miguel County · forecast zone Northeast Highlands | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-18 | High WindLincoln County · forecast zone South Central Mountains | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Dust StormGrant County and Hidalgo County · forecast zone Southwest Desert/Lower Gila River Valley | 0 | 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.
Next
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