Sandoval County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 242 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 38.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,160 nationally and #18 in New Mexico.
242
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$18.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Sandoval County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sandoval County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 237 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sandoval County, New Mexico record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $13.3M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Sandoval County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 94 | 1 | $13.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $2.9M | 2.75 | 1965–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 27 | 0 | $145K | 75 | 1990–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $253K | F1 | 1966–2025 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $100K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 2013–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2016 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2016–2016 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Sandoval 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-09-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-08-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-06-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sandoval County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2009 | Lightning | RIO RANCHO | 1 | 6 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2025 | Flash Flood | RIO RANCHO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 15, 2016 | Hail | COUNSELOR | 0 | 9 | $50K |
| Aug 3, 2019 | Lightning | JEMEZ SPGS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 1997 | Lightning | RIO RANCHO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain exceeding 2 inches caused thick dirt and debris runoffs over roadways across western Rio Rancho which caused at least one road closure and debris removal efforts. During debris removal efforts around sunrise, road crews located a deceased male near the intersection of Northern Blvd. and Calor Rd. NW.
Jarrod Truesdale, a 26 year old man, was killed by a lightning strike in the parking lot of Rio Rancho High School before a fireworks show. His wife, 26, was also struck and sustained serious injuries. Their 4 kids, ranging from 18 months to 7 years in age, as well as the wife's 21 year old sister also sustained injuries. The family was headed for their vehicle to seek shelter from the storm.
Major flash flooding ensued after an estimated 3 to 4 inches of rain fell across the southern portion of the Las Conchas burn scar. Flooding in Frijoles Creek caused damage in and around Bandelier National Monument. Two barrier walls around the Visitors Center were overtopped and the septic system lift station was inundated with water. Major flooding was also reported in Peralta Canyon around Kasha Katuwe (Tent Rocks) National Monument. Damage was reported to the access road as well as other local roads. ||Along and downstream of Cochiti Canyon sustained the most damage from flood waters. Flows were reported to be 8 to 10 feet high when they reached Dixon's Apple Orchard. The flood waters damaged the owners personal residence, inundated the main storage facility with 10 feet of mud and debris, moved a semi truck approximately 200 yards and destroyed approximately 10 percent of the apple orchard. The water also wiped out a 50 yard long 4 foot by 4 foot rock retaining wall that was built in 1942.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
153,604
Population (ACS)
$314K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jun 15, 2017 | Fire | EL CAJETE FIRE | FM |
| Oct 6, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 29, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sandoval County, New Mexico?
242 events are on record between 1965 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $18.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sandoval County?
Flash Flood, with 94 recorded events — 38.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sandoval 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 Sandoval County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sandoval County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sandoval County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sandoval County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sandoval 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
- Roosevelt County 530
- San Juan County 154
- Rio Arriba County 123
- San Miguel County 417
- Quay County 623
- Santa Fe County 344
Cite this page
“Sandoval County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/sandoval-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.