Santa Fe County, New Mexico: hazard risk
FEMA rates Santa Fe County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 86.0 of 100, higher than 85% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by wildfire, winter weather, lightning. Its storm record holds 2,498 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 | 98.2 | $13M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 94.1 | $500K |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 94.0 | $1.3M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 88.4 | $27M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 86.1 | $1.1M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 89.5 | $4.1M |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 67.6 | $415K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 66.4 | $4K |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 53.0 | $355K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 48.3 | $734K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 25.8 | $203K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 26.8 | $64 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 24.5 | $288K |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | 18.7 | $12K |
| Volcanic Activity | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 807 | 0 | – | 6th of 33 | 515th of 3,063 |
| Winter storms | 692 | 15 | $5.2M | 2nd of 33 | 929th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 588 | 0 | $2.7M | 4th of 33 | 178th of 3,080 |
| Hail | 149 | 0 | $1.5M | 12th of 33 | 2549th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 99 | 5 | $5.1M | 3rd of 33 | 1695th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 57 | 0 | $2.5M | 9th of 33 | 2716th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 27 | 0 | $2.7M | 6th of 33 | 2337th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 23 | 0 | $29M | 4th of 33 | 260th of 2,972 |
| Extreme cold | 20 | 0 | $63K | 4th of 33 | 2381st of 3,076 |
| Heat | 13 | 0 | – | 5th of 33 | 2180th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 11 | 2 | $165K | 3rd of 33 | 1121st of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 0 | – | 20th of 33 | 2339th of 3,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | – | 8th of 33 | 406th of 2,278 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Santa Fe County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.