Santa Fe County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 344 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,528 nationally and #12 in New Mexico.
344
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$7.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Santa Fe County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Santa Fe County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 4.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 141 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 events fall before 1990 and 317 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Santa Fe County, New Mexico record is flash flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $3.8M 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 Santa Fe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 147 | 0 | $1.3M | 2.5 | 1960–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 92 | 4 | $3.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 51 | 0 | $2.2M | 70 | 1961–2024 |
| Tornado | 27 | 0 | $442K | F1 | 1956–2021 |
| Lightning | 11 | 1 | $103K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $55K | 0 | 2013–2015 |
| Dust Devil | 3 | 0 | $20K | 65 | 2003–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Santa Fe 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
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-06-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-12-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-08-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-07-07 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-07-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Santa Fe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 1997 | Lightning | SANTA FE | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2022 | Flash Flood | AGUA FRIA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 23, 2014 | Flash Flood | (SAF)SANTA FE MUNI AIRPORT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2013 | Flash Flood | AGUA FRIA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2008 | Flash Flood | SANTA FE | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| Aug 3, 2016 | Flash Flood | CUNDIYO | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2006 | Lightning | SANTA FE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2015 | Tornado | EDGEWOOD | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash flooding struck the northeast part of Santa Fe. Arroyos became torrents and overflowed their banks in some instances. Major street flooding ensued in some locations, especially along Lorenzo Road which saw mud deposited two feet deep. One man drowned when he was swept down an arroyo. An unoccupied automobile was damaged when it was also swept down an arroyo. Flash flooding occurred at the Morales Bridge on the north side of town, and a home was flooded on Circle Dr nearby.
Heavy rain in the Santa Fe area caused the arroyos to fill up, and unfortunately, one man was found dead in the arroyo near Cerrillos and Rodeo. According to the Santa Fe emergency manager, the flooding within the arroyo was thought to be a contributing factor to the individual's death. However, the man also sustained blunt force trauma to the head and was also intoxicated, and these factors also contributed to his death. His age is unknown.
Local news station reporting that the body of a 58 year old man was found in the Santa Fe River after heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Reports say that he may have been sleeping in or near the river and drowned when he was swept away from rushing waters.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
156,105
Population (ACS)
$446K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 29, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 29, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 23, 2002 | Fire | NM – BORREGO FIRE – 5-23-02 | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Santa Fe County, New Mexico?
344 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $7.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Santa Fe County?
Hail, with 147 recorded events — 42.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Santa Fe County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Santa Fe County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Santa Fe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Santa Fe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Santa Fe County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Santa Fe 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
- San Miguel County 417
- Sierra County 149
- San Juan County 154
- Socorro County 188
- Sandoval County 242
- Taos County 49
Cite this page
“Santa Fe County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/santa-fe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.