Harding County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 186 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 76.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,528 nationally and #21 in New Mexico.
186
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$343K
Property damage
The record
What the Harding County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harding County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 2.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 58 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 174 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $207K in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Harding County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 142 | 0 | $86K | 3 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 24 | 0 | $207K | 65 | 1982–2025 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $50K | F3 | 1962–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2001 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Harding 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
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-05-14 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 10.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-08-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-05-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-06-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-08-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harding County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 1992 | Hail | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jun 26, 1992 | Hail | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| May 14, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 18, 1962 | 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
Several severe thunderstorms passed over western Harding County producing large hail and damaging winds, some of which were tornado-like. A mid-evening storm damaged or destroyed five barns at the Chicosa Lake State Park northeast of Roy. A second storm just before midnight tore a porch off a park bunk house and blew over a radio communications tower. Total damage from the two storms was estimated at $200,000.
A trained spotter west southwest of Roy reported 1 inch hail from a severe thunderstorm moving southeast through the area. The observer also reported that their home roof was leaking as a result of hail damage. Damages are estimated for the roof damage.
Large hail and strong winds produced heavy damage to a residence eight miles east-southeast of Solano. Golf ball size hail and 75 mph were reported. Windows were busted out of. A power pole was broken off at the base. A 12 inch diameter tree limb was snapped off the tree. The large hail piled up three to four inches deep.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
741
Population (ACS)
$70K
Median home value
8
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 |
| Aug 30, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 10, 2000 | Fire | SEVERE FIRE THREATS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harding County, New Mexico?
186 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $343K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harding County?
Hail, with 142 recorded events — 76.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harding County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harding County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harding County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harding County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harding County as very low risk, placing it in the 0 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harding 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
- Guadalupe County 248
- Hidalgo County 68
- Grant County 171
- Lea County 991
- Eddy County 1,066
- Lincoln County 344
Cite this page
“Harding County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/harding-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.