62
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
Flash Flood in McKinley County, New Mexico: 62 recorded events between 1997 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #425 nationally and #11 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in McKinley County, New Mexico: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in McKinley County is the 2010s, when 32 of the county's 62 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the McKinley County archive, flash flood makes up 53.0% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #425 for this hazard and #11 within New Mexico, putting it in the 86.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for flash flood in McKinley County with 24 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2008 | GAMERCO | 0 | 3 | 0 | $40K |
| Sep 3, 2016 | TOHATCHI | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2006 | CHURCH ROCK | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 22, 1997 | GALLUP | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2015 | SPRINGSTEAD | 0 | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Jul 4, 2015 | REHOBOTH | 0 | 1 | 0 | $300K |
| Sep 13, 1997 | GALLUP | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 2025 | (GUP)GALLUP AIRPORT | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 27, 2025 | COYOTE CANYON | 0 | $10K |
| Aug 16, 2022 | TWIN LAKES | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2022 | MENTMORE | 0 | $50K |
| Aug 16, 2022 | CHURCH ROCK | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2022 | GALLUP | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2022 | MEXICAN SPGS | 0 | $25K |
| Jul 29, 2022 | DEFIANCE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2022 | MEXICAN SPGS | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 25, 2022 | CHURCH ROCK | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The heavy rain caused water up to three feet deep to flow through downtown Gallup, on either side of Interstate 40. A rock slide occurred near the intersection of West Jefferson Avenue and Highway 491, causing a large boulder to crush three transients who were seeking shelter from the rain. A section of Highway 491 was also flooded 9 miles north of Gallup. A number of homes were flooded in Gallup, including some as far south as Nizhona Boulevard. Sundance Road was also flooded east of Gallup, in a subdivision between Rehoboth and Church Rock.
A man and his young son drowned when their vehicle was swept down stream trying to cross a flooded arroyo near Church Rock. Officials reported other people escaping without injuries as their vehicles also became trapped at flooded road crossings across west central and northwest McKinley County. A clogged drainage ditch also overflowed onto Interstate 40 near Gallup with mud and debris causing a closure of the westbound lanes. Several people escaped without injury when a mobile home located next to an arroyo tipped as storm water undercut the sandy bank of the arroyo. In general, storms yielded only about one half inch to three quarters inch of rain in about 30 minutes, but it was enough to fill numerous small arroyos and ditches with shallow and fast moving water.
Heavy rain caused State Road 491 north of Gallup to close due to flooding and debris. County Emergency Manager reported flash flooding caused 4 inches of mud and 8 inches of water to enter a juvenile center on the east side of town. He also noted that a few bridges were temporarily closed due to flood waters, along with numerous county roads suffering damage. Exact location and extent of damage was unknown. Allen Joe Begay of White Cone, Arizona was swept away in flood waters while in the Rio Puerco.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in McKinley County, New Mexico?
62 flash flood events are recorded in McKinley County between 1997 and 2025, causing 11 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in McKinley County?
The strongest flash flood on record in McKinley County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for McKinley County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in McKinley County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/mckinley-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.