Lea County, New Mexico: hazard risk
FEMA rates Lea County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 86.0 of 100, higher than 85% of rated U.S. counties); 4 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by wildfire, hail, lightning. Its storm record holds 1,198 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 98.0 | $9.9M |
| Hail | Relatively High | 94.4 | $2.1M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 91.5 | $999K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 89.3 | $294K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 88.3 | $25M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 86.1 | $993K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 82.2 | $1.1M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 78.1 | $2.5M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 64.3 | $123K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 77.5 | $1.0M |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 54.5 | $1.1M |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 39.8 | $22K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 29.3 | $52K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 1.1 | $1 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 514 | 0 | $57M | 6th of 33 | 2325th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 280 | 0 | $9.0M | 4th of 33 | 2615th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 119 | 0 | $1.3M | 29th of 33 | 1945th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 97 | 0 | $83M | 3rd of 33 | 2205th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 96 | 0 | $984K | 11th of 33 | 2450th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 57 | 0 | – | 31st of 33 | 2928th of 3,077 |
| Drought | 14 | 0 | $22M | 33rd of 33 | 2306th of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 0 | – | 15th of 33 | 2256th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 0 | – | 24th of 33 | 2822nd of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 3 | 2 | $8K | 11th of 33 | 2315th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 0 | $1.5M | 24th of 33 | 1242nd of 2,972 |
| Heat | 1 | 0 | – | 31st of 33 | 2496th of 3,076 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Lea County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.