Doña Ana County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 357 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 32.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,443 nationally and #11 in New Mexico.
357
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$28.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Doña Ana County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Doña Ana County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 130 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 327 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $17.2M 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 Doña Ana County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 117 | 0 | $17.2M | 2.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 117 | 0 | $329K | 89 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 89 | 0 | $11.0M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $278K | F1 | 1959–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2022 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Doña Ana 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
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-08-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-06-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-09-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Doña Ana County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2014 | Lightning | FAIRACRES | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2013 | Flash Flood | LIZARD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Runoff from heavy rains over the nearby Sierra De Las Uvas Mountains caused the Placitas Arroyo to breach, which sent a wall of water into the town of Hatch. Up to 4 feet of water entered business and residences. Mandatory evacuations of several hundred residents took place, including 150 people from an apartment complex which eventually had to be condemned. All roads into and within Hatch were closed.
A cluster of slow moving thunderstorms dropped 1.5 to 3 inches of rain over the southern portion of Dona Ana County, especially near the Rio Grande. Even higher amounts fell over the nearby Franklin Mountains which added to severe runoff problems. Interstate 10 south of Las Cruces was closed for several hours. Hardest hit with damage to roads and structures was Sunland Park, followed by Anthony, Chaparral and La Union. About 1200 residents in Sunland Park were forced to evacuate as the Rio Grande River reached a stage of 9.3 feet, the highest in 50 years. This was one of many flood events during the summer that led to much of New Mexico being declared a federal disaster area.
Major flooding occurred across most of the Las Cruces area as a thunderstorm complex dropped heavy rain during a 3 hour time frame. Rainfall reports were widespread 2 to 3 inches with isolated amounts around 4 inches. All major roads were flooded with a few intersections under 4 feet of water. Sandbags were put up until resources were exhausted. The rainfall amounts were not extremely unusual, just the areal coverage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
224,266
Population (ACS)
$221K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | 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 |
| Aug 30, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Doña Ana County, New Mexico?
357 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $28.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Doña Ana County?
Hail, with 117 recorded events — 32.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Doña Ana County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Doña Ana County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Doña Ana County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Doña Ana County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Doña Ana County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Doña Ana 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
- De Baca County 246
- Eddy County 1,066
- Curry County 655
- Grant County 171
- Colfax County 429
- Guadalupe County 248
Cite this page
“Doña Ana County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/dona-ana-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.