New Mexico severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 33 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,403 severe thunderstorm wind events in New Mexico from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 67 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the March 11, 1990 thunderstorm wind in Eddy County: 1 death and 2 injuries. New Mexico ranks 40th of 52 states and territories by count and 45th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in New Mexico, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 2,4031955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 67average
- Deaths
- 445 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $63Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2023126 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in New Mexico?
New Mexico averages about 67 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 40th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (126). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Mexico records 198 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 45th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Curry County leads New Mexico: 136 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 96.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Lea County has the most thunderstorm wind records (280 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in New Mexico?
54% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (751 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 9 · Feb 11 · Mar 33 · Apr 63 · May 400 · Jun 751 · Jul 558 · Aug 301 · Sep 165 · Oct 84 · Nov 8 · Dec 20 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in New Mexico?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-11 | Thunderstorm WindEddy County | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2017-08-09 | Thunderstorm WindMondel, Hidalgo County Power was out in Lordsburg area for over 30 hours. The wind created a dust storm with near zero visibility west of Lordsburg near mile marker 6 which caused a 2015 Dodge truck towing a travel trailer to rear end an 18 wheeler which had slowed down due to the conditions. One woman in the Dodge truck was killed and ... | 61 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $60K |
| 2011-07-14 | Thunderstorm WindDexter, Chaves County The roof of a barn collapsed and killed an elderly man. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| 1988-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindEddy County | 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 severe thunderstorm wind events in New Mexico
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-15 | Thunderstorm WindTaos County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $7.8M |
| 2012-06-16 | Thunderstorm WindLogan, Quay County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.4M |
| 2008-05-05 | Thunderstorm WindMilnesand, Roosevelt County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.1M |
| 2017-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindDora, Roosevelt County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.1M |
| 1995-05-06 | Thunderstorm WindCurry County | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 2024-08-21 | Thunderstorm WindFarmington Airport, San Juan County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.8M |
| 1999-05-24 | Thunderstorm WindLos Chavez, Valencia County | 0 | 2 | $2.1M | |
| 2024-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindTatum Lea Co Airport, Lea County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 87 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 15 | 3,482 | 0.4% |
| 1960s | 112 | 10,124 | 1.1% |
| 1970s | 97 | 18,714 | 0.5% |
| 1980s | 115 | 39,604 | 0.3% |
| 1990s | 253 | 85,554 | 0.3% |
| 2000s | 443 | 129,990 | 0.3% |
| 2010s | 696 | 161,286 | 0.4% |
| 2020-26 | 672 | 126,815 | 0.5% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in New Mexico
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindMonument, Lea County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $110K |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindRaton Crews Airport, Colfax County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindLas Vegas Airport, San Miguel County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-28 | Thunderstorm WindArtesia Airport, Eddy County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-28 | Thunderstorm WindWhites City, Eddy County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindPortales, Roosevelt County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindDora, Roosevelt County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindRanchvale, Curry County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindAztec, San Juan County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindBloomfield, San Juan County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindGallup Airport, McKinley County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindTucumcari Airport, Quay County | 50 kt wind | 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.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in New Mexico
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 13 declarations in New Mexico, 13 of them major disasters; the latest on June 30, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | DR-4918 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2014-10-29 | DR-4199 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 8 |
| 2014-10-06 | DR-4197 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 8 |
| 2013-10-24 | DR-4151 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2013-09-30 | DR-4148 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 11 |
| 2013-09-27 | DR-4147 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2011-03-24 | DR-1962 | Severe Winter Storm and Extreme Cold Temperatures | 15 |
| 2008-08-14 | DR-1783 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 2007-04-02 | DR-1690 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 2 |
| 2006-08-30 | DR-1659 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 20 |
| 2004-04-29 | DR-1514 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 4 |
| 1999-09-22 | DR-1301 | Severe Ice Storms, Flooding and Heavy Rains | 8 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Curry County: the county's whole recordThe New Mexico county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in New MexicoTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Drought in New Mexico6,408 records
- Hail in New Mexico5,297 records
- High wind and dust storms in New Mexico4,278 records