San Juan County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 154 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 34.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,684 nationally and #23 in New Mexico.
154
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$11.3M
Property damage
The record
What the San Juan County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, San Juan County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 2.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 47 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 134 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the San Juan County, New Mexico record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.0M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in San Juan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 53 | 1 | $7.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 51 | 0 | $3.9M | 90 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 27 | 0 | $1K | 1.75 | 1965–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 1 | $275K | F2 | 1957–2022 |
| Lightning | 5 | 1 | $70K | 0 | 2000–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 1 | $100K | 0 | 1997–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Heat | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
San Juan 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
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-09-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-03-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-09-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-09-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-10-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-10-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-09-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in San Juan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 1999 | Heavy Rain | SHIPROCK | 1 | 4 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 2003 | Lightning | SHEEP SPGS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2016 | Flash Flood | TURLEY | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Nov 11, 1998 | Heat | FARMINGTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 11, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Jun 19, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Aug 24, 2009 | Lightning | FLORA VISTA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2003 | Heavy Rain | NAVAJO DAM | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Farmington Four Corners Regional Airport observed thunderstorm wind gusts peaking at 66 mph. These thunderstorm wind gusts produced thick blowing dust, power outages to 8,000 customers, and a down 69kV power line resulting in power outages around Aztec and surrounding areas. Power line damage cost is an estimate.
Serious flash flooding developed on Salt Creek Wash and created major damage to a community near Mesa Farm Road. Three to four homes were severely damaged and one home was destroyed. Several vehicles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles washed into creek and destroyed. Water rescues occurred from roof tops and amazingly no one was killed.
The Blanco Arroyo overflowed its banks and, combined with heavy rain across the area, led to significant flash flooding. Firefighters rescued a few individuals from the roofs of their homes, otherwise no major injuries or fatalities were reported. Several homes were reportedly shifted off their foundation and a propane tank at one of those homes was swept away in the flood waters. Multiple classrooms were damaged at three area schools, causing all schools to be closed on the 27th and one school, Lydia Rippey Elementary, to be closed on the 28th. The Aztec Municipal Golf Course at Hidden Valley was closed until further notice due to damages incurred from the flooding. A large rock slide closed Navajo Road 36 at mile marker 28, with other smaller road closures reported around Aztec. Measured rainfall in the area ranges from an inch to a little over an inch and a half.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
120,942
Population (ACS)
$194K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2024 | Fire | SOUTH FORK FIRE, SALT FIRE, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Jun 18, 2012 | Fire | BLANCO (CR 4901) FIRE | FM |
| Sep 13, 2010 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in San Juan County, New Mexico?
154 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $11.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in San Juan County?
Flash Flood, with 53 recorded events — 34.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed San Juan County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover San Juan County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include San Juan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is San Juan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates San Juan County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the San Juan 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
- Sandoval County 242
- San Miguel County 417
- Roosevelt County 530
- Santa Fe County 344
- Rio Arriba County 123
- Sierra County 149
Cite this page
“San Juan County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/san-juan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.