Chaves County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 581 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #637 nationally and #6 in New Mexico.
581
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$521.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Chaves County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chaves County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 162 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 83 events fall before 1990 and 498 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chaves County, New Mexico record is flash flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $514.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chaves County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 289 | 0 | $811K | 4.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 146 | 1 | $1.9M | 80 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 60 | 5 | $514.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 53 | 0 | $2.4M | F2 | 1951–2025 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 2020–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1998–2002 |
Decade by decade
Chaves County, New Mexico severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
56 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 56 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-08-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-04-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-08-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-09-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chaves County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 1996 | Flash Flood | LAKE ARTHUR | 4 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 20, 2024 | Flash Flood | ROSWELL | 1 | 0 | $500.0M |
| Jul 15, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | DEXTER | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Mar 12, 2019 | Tornado | LAKE ARTHUR | 0 | 6 | $2.0M |
| Jun 11, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $3K | |
| May 11, 1994 | Hail | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 15, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Aug 3, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKE ARTHUR | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The NM Department of Transportation reported river flooding along the Rio Felix south of Roswell overtopping and damaging the U.S. Highway 285 bridge, and overtopping the NM State Highway 2 bridge just north of Hagerman closing both bridges. Flooding from heavy rains and poor drainage also extended over much of Dexter just north of Hagerman. Damage is an estimate. A Flood Warning was issued and repeatedly extended until local reports of the water receding came from local Emergency Management.
Just before 6 pm MDT on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, a tornado touched down in Chaves County, about 15 miles south southwest of Dexter. The tornado moved north northeast for approximately 15 minutes before dissipating about one half mile northeast of the community of Dexter. Six people suffered minor injuries, and six homes were substantially damaged or completely destroyed. An additional dozen homes and structures also sustained minor to moderate damage. This was the first March tornado documented in Chaves County since 1959, and the earliest known EF1 or stronger tornado in the state of New Mexico. The last EF2 tornado in New Mexico occurred on May 23, 2012. Damage amounts are a rough estimate.
Multiple trained spotters reported flash flooding along U.S. Highway 285 near Midway with an estimated three to four feet of water over the roadway. Several people were stranded along the highway and were waiting on top of their vehicles to be rescued. Several water rescues had to be conducted at U.S. Highway 285 and Orchard Park Road. Multiple homes were inundated as well with flood waters, and one woman had to be rescued via a kayak. No injuries were reported. The extent of the damages is unknown, and damages are roughly estimated for the multiple businesses, homes, and vehicles inundated with flood waters.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
64,217
Population (ACS)
$156K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM |
| Nov 1, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 29, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Roswell 221
- Lake Arthur 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chaves County, New Mexico?
581 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $521.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chaves County?
Hail, with 289 recorded events — 49.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chaves County?
56 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 56 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chaves County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chaves County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chaves County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chaves County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chaves County, New Mexico severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Cibola County 93
- Catron County 68
- Colfax County 429
- Bernalillo County 457
- Curry County 655
- De Baca County 246
Cite this page
“Chaves County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/chaves-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.