Cibola County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 93 recorded events between 1964 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 37.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,909 nationally and #29 in New Mexico.
93
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$2.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Cibola County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cibola County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 1.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 47 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 87 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $1.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cibola County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 35 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Hail | 33 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1969–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 13 | 0 | $2K | 60 | 1964–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2018 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $0 | EF0 | 2017–2018 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $750K | 0 | 2013–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1997–2013 |
Decade by decade
Cibola 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
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-06-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cibola County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 1995 | Hail | Albuquerque | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Areal flooding developed after flash flooding with continued heavy rainfall. Twenty five to 30 homes were partially under water around Bluewater Village. Milan endangered by flooding with 4 residents displaced to shelter. The Grants West Centurlink box was flooded and cell phone services were temporarily out in the area. CR 23A closed due to high water. A total of 50 structures were damaged from this multi-day event.
Three bridges were damaged from flood waters northeast of Grants. A dozen jersey barriers were washed 100 yards downstream at low water crossings along Lobo Canyon. The most significant damage occurred to the George Hannish Bridge. Bridges along county roads 19A and 19D were also impacted.
Heavy rains caused a barn and two pastures to be flooded. One lane of a two-lane gravel road was also washed out with many other roads seeing 3 feet deep ravines created by the heavy rain. Numerous roads around the Zuni Mountains were washed out and residents were trapped in their homes for several days until county officials could repair the roads. Phone services were also lost.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,845
Population (ACS)
$125K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Nov 23, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2010 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 30, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cibola County, New Mexico?
93 events are on record between 1964 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cibola County?
Flash Flood, with 35 recorded events — 37.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cibola County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cibola County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cibola County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cibola County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cibola County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 58 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cibola 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
- Chaves County 581
- Colfax County 429
- Catron County 68
- Curry County 655
- Bernalillo County 457
- De Baca County 246
Cite this page
“Cibola County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/cibola-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.