New Mexico lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 22 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 70 lightning records in New Mexico from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 2.3 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 8, 1996 lightning in Lea County: 2 deaths. New Mexico ranks 45th of 52 states and territories by count and 48th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in New Mexico, 1996 to 2026
Lightning 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
- 701996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 2.3average
- Deaths
- 1352 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.3Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 19978 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 lightning records common in New Mexico?
New Mexico averages about 2.3 lightning records a year since 2000, 45th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1997 (8). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Mexico records 5.8 lightning records since 1996, 48th 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 lightning records?
Per square mile, Bernalillo County leads New Mexico: 11 days with a lightning record since 1996, 9.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Bernalillo County has the most lightning records (11 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 lightning season in New Mexico?
74% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (27 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 3 · May 5 · Jun 5 · Jul 25 · Aug 27 · Sep 4 · Oct 1 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in New Mexico?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-08-08 | LightningLovington, Lea County Two employees of Lea County Co-op Electric were killed by lightning while attempting to repair lines that had been disabled during a previous storm. Since there were no witnesses of the incident it was first thought the two men had been electrocuted by the lines on which they were working, however, a subsequent ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-07-04 | LightningRio Rancho, Sandoval County Jarrod Truesdale, a 26 year old man, was killed by a lightning strike in the parking lot of Rio Rancho High School before a fireworks show. His wife, 26, was also struck and sustained serious injuries. Their 4 kids, ranging from 18 months to 7 years in age, as well as the wife's 21 year old sister also sustained ... | 1 | 6 | – | |
| 1997-08-03 | LightningSanta Fe County A 41 year old man hiking near the summit of Santa Fe Baldy (12600 ft) was killed by lightning. The man's 12 year old son and another hiker were knocked down by the lightning but only slightly injured. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2015-05-15 | LightningCapitan, Lincoln County Kalina Jinzo, a 40-year mother of three, was struck by lightning and killed while traveling from Albuquerque to Ruidoso on a motorcycle on the 15th. Her husband was also struck but his injuries were not life threatening. The woman died several days later in a Lubbock hospital around the 22nd. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 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 | – | |
| 2003-08-02 | LightningSheep Spgs, San Juan County A 16 year female attending a church leadership outing in the Chuska Mountains died one day after being struck by lightning. A 15 year old male also sustained minor injuries. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2015-08-01 | LightningTusas, Rio Arriba County A lightning strike led to a fatal motorcycle crash along U.S. Highway 64 near Hopewell Lake. The victim was 37-year old Juan Trujillo. | 1 | 0 | $4K | |
| 2009-08-30 | LightningQuemado, Catron County Harry Beggerly, 61, died near Quemado Lake from a lightning strike on the afternoon of August 30, while seeking shelter from the rain under a 30 foot tall tree. | 1 | 0 | $1K | |
| 1997-05-20 | LightningTres Piedras, Rio Arriba County A rancher was struck and instantly killed by lightning northwest of Tres Piedras. The man and his 13 year old son were mending fence on open range and took shelter from a thunderstorm under isolated, but separate trees. The son was not injured. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-08-14 | LightningAlbuquerque, Bernalillo County A man, 32, was struck and immediately killed by lightning during a dry thunderstorm over the Northeast Heights section of Albuquerque. | 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 lightning records in New Mexico
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-07-24 | LightningMoriarty, Torrance County | 0 | 2 | $13K | |
| 2015-08-01 | LightningTusas, Rio Arriba County | 1 | 0 | $4K | |
| 2009-08-30 | LightningQuemado, Catron County | 1 | 0 | $1K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are lightning 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 | 22 | 3,521 | 0.62% |
| 2000s | 22 | 8,052 | 0.27% |
| 2010s | 22 | 5,103 | 0.43% |
| 2020-26 | 4 | 1,544 | 0.26% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in New Mexico
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-08-03 | LightningJemez Spgs, Sandoval County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2017-07-15 | LightningSocorro County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-08-07 | LightningAgua Fria, Santa Fe County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-08-01 | LightningTusas, Rio Arriba County | 1 | 0 | $4K | |
| 2015-05-15 | LightningCapitan, Lincoln County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2014-08-19 | LightningFairacres, Doña Ana County | 0 | 6 | – | |
| 2014-05-22 | LightningCimarron, Colfax County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2014-04-05 | LightningMoriarty, Torrance County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2013-07-24 | LightningMoriarty, Torrance County | 0 | 2 | $13K | |
| 2013-07-12 | LightningSanta Fe County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2013-07-04 | LightningCarnuel, Bernalillo County | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 2009-08-30 | LightningQuemado, Catron County | 1 | 0 | $1K |
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
- Bernalillo County: the county's whole recordThe New Mexico county with the most lightning records per square mile
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