Quay County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 623 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 56.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #527 nationally and #5 in New Mexico.
623
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$6.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Quay County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Quay County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 8.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 165 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 85 events fall before 1990 and 538 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $4.2M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Quay County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 349 | 0 | $264K | 3.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 182 | 0 | $1.2M | 81 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 43 | 0 | $4.2M | F2 | 1950–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $643K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2017 |
Decade by decade
Quay 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
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-04-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 39.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-03 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-23 | EF1 | 0 | 12 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-17 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Quay County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2007 | Tornado | LOGAN | 0 | 12 | $3.5M |
| Jun 28, 1992 | Hail | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jul 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | LOGAN | 0 | 1 | $60K |
| Jun 28, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jun 12, 1989 | Hail | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jul 18, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 3, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A small and possibly elevated landspout type tornado developed on the far east end of a rear flank outflow that swung south through east over Logan as a storm centered about 5 miles to the west moved north over Ute Lake. Damage along the track as it moved over the west side of Logan was intermittent with damage indicators pointing to winds of general 80 to 90 mph with peak winds near the south and north ends of the track estimated at 105 mph. Average track width was around 100 yards. Logan had no tornado siren system but citizens reported nearly 30 to 50 minutes notice of an approaching severe thunderstorm. About a dozen injuries were reported with only two transported to Tucumcari for brief treatment in hospital. Heaviest damage was mainly confined to about 50 manufactured homes and recreational vehicles tossed and rolled mainly on the south end of the lake resort community. Damage to site constructed homes and buildings was limited to window, roof and soffit damage except for one 1910 era frame home that lost its roof.
Multiple reports of flash flooding were received via social media during the evening of May 25, 2023. Streets throughout town were flooded, closed, or impassable with vehicles being stranded in some spots. Water was also reported to have reached up to business entrances.
The county Emergency Manager and Quay County Sun newspaper reported 10 commercial vehicles were blown over on I-40 due to severe thunderstorm wind gusts. This along with 7 other simultaneous crashes closed I-40 for several hours in both directions. Several people were taken to the local hospital in Tucumcari as emergency response from Logan, San Jon, Tucumcari and the Quay Fire District 2 responded to the incident.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,564
Population (ACS)
$87K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 2, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 10, 2000 | Fire | SEVERE FIRE THREATS | EM |
| Jan 29, 1998 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Quay County, New Mexico?
623 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Quay County?
Hail, with 349 recorded events — 56.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Quay County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Quay County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Quay County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Quay County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Quay County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Quay 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
- Otero County 312
- Rio Arriba County 123
- Mora County 214
- Roosevelt County 530
- McKinley County 117
- Sandoval County 242
Cite this page
“Quay County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/quay-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.