Roosevelt County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 530 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 55.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #782 nationally and #7 in New Mexico.
530
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$17.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Roosevelt County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Roosevelt County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 77 events fall before 1990 and 453 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 $7.3M 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 Roosevelt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 296 | 0 | $2.2M | 4.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $7.3M | 90 | 1963–2025 |
| Tornado | 61 | 0 | $4.8M | F2 | 1954–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 0 | $2.9M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2017 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2017 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Roosevelt 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
65 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 65 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-05-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-23 | EF2 | 2 | 33 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Roosevelt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1992 | Hail | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jul 21, 2004 | Lightning | PORTALES | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 4, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado with estimated peak winds of near 120 mph severely damaged the Portales City water well facility on State Road 202 about 5 miles east of Highway 70. The tornado moved north northwest destroying a new dairy before continuing northwest into Curry County. No injuries reported but storm debris briefly trapped a dairy employee. About 190 dairy cows either killed by the event or else sent to immediate slaughter due to injuries. Average width approximately 200 yards.
Heavy rain that fell on saturated grounds in the area between Portales, Elida, and Dora produced major flash flooding. Several county roads were under water, damaged, and closed. Emergency management estimated total damages across Roosevelt County from flooding topped 2.4 million dollars.
Hail up to the size of golf balls with high winds produced major damage between Portales and Dora. A barn was blown over and a large farming irrigation sprinkler was overturned. One farmer lost a 4200 acre cotton crop. Winds were estimated to be at least 65 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,928
Population (ACS)
$136K
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 17, 2011 | Fire | TIRE FIRE | FM |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Portales 153
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Roosevelt County, New Mexico?
530 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $17.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Roosevelt County?
Hail, with 296 recorded events — 55.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Roosevelt County?
65 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 65 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Roosevelt County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Roosevelt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Roosevelt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Roosevelt County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Roosevelt 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
- Rio Arriba County 123
- Sandoval County 242
- Quay County 623
- San Juan County 154
- Otero County 312
- San Miguel County 417
Cite this page
“Roosevelt County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/roosevelt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.