Mora County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 214 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 65.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,356 nationally and #19 in New Mexico.
214
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$3.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Mora County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mora County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 62 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 203 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mora County, New Mexico record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $3.0M 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 Mora County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 141 | 0 | $36K | 3 | 1961–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 42 | 1 | $3.0M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $0 | F1 | 1965–2022 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 9 | 0 | $2K | 61 | 1996–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2016 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Mora 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
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-06-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-08-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-08-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mora County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2022 | Flash Flood | EL TURQUILLO | 1 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain on the Calf Canyon burn scar caused flash flooding on Highway 434 near El Turquillo. A vehicle containing the 30-year-old driver John Vasquez and a 64-year-old passenger Benjamin Torres attempted to cross the flooded roadway, but were unsuccessful as the vehicle was caught in the flood waters. Vasquez was able to escape through an open car window with only minor injuries, but Torres remained trapped in the vehicle. Once the flood waters receded, first responders discovered Torres deceased in the vehicle 100 yards downstream. Vasquez was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol and fleeing an accident with knowledge of death or great bodily harm. Damages are estimated for the loss of the vehicle.
Heavy rain across the Luna burn scar resulted in major flash flooding in Luna Canyon and surrounding areas, and the force of the water altered the landscape. Water and debris destroyed one bridge and many roads became impassable. An observer reported that the water in the narrow Luna Canyon was several feet high. A CoCoRaHS observer near Chacon reported that the Luna Creek, which is usually just a few feet wide became 100 yards wide. Campsites on private land were demolished. The New Mexico Governor declared a state of emergency in Mora County for the significant flooding.
An estimated one to two inches of rain across the northern portion of the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon burn scar in Mora County. This caused significant flash flooding across the burn scar with Highway 518 and the Holman area hit particularly hard. Highway 518 was washed out from near the Taos County line to Cleveland. Video obtained from multiple broadcast media sources showed fast moving water and debris flow impacting numerous residences in Holman, Chacon, and Cleveland. Canoncito Creek was had major overflow with water flowing onto pastures, around homes, across area roadways, and one spotter remarked that it created a lake in some places. Damages are estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,149
Population (ACS)
$123K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2023 | Fire | LAS TUSAS FIRE | FM |
| May 4, 2022 | Fire | WILDFIRES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, MUDFLOWS, AND DEBRIS FLOWS | 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 13, 2010 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mora County, New Mexico?
214 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $3.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mora County?
Hail, with 141 recorded events — 65.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mora County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mora County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mora County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mora County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mora County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mora 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
- McKinley County 117
- Otero County 312
- Luna County 123
- Quay County 623
- Los Alamos County 58
- Lincoln County 344
Cite this page
“Mora County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/mora-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.