Taos County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 49 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 32.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,057 nationally and #33 in New Mexico.
49
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$7.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Taos County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Taos County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 0.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 22 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 48 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Taos County, New Mexico record is cold/wind chill, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $5.1M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Taos County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 16 | 0 | $0 | 1.5 | 1961–2021 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 11 | 0 | $5.1M | 78 | 1997–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $702K | 0 | 2014–2022 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $10K | EF0 | 2009–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2016 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2013–2013 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2019–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Taos 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
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-09-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Taos County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 28, 1997 | Cold/Wind Chill | TAOS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 14, 1999 | Lightning | RED RIVER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An estimated 1.5 to 4 inches of heavy rainfall over the course of 3 hours resulted in flash flooding across the historic Picuris Pueblo. As water over topped an arroyo, flood waters rapidly entered the tribal administration building which sustained damages to the flooring. A gym, senior center, and transportation building were also hit hard by the flood waters which also all sustained various amounts of floor damage. Several grave markers in the tribal cemetery were dislodged by the flood waters. Damages to a hydrologic weir that feeds the fish hatchery pond, which houses about 5,000 fish, were also reported. No injuries or fatalities were reported, and damages are estimated.
Localized heavy rain near Taos clogged an arroyo, causing water to flood the Los Cordovas area. Blueberry Hill Road at Lower Las Colonias Road was closed due to flash flooding with water two feet in depth. Two nearby houses had about one foot of standing water inside. New Mexico Highway 240 near Cotton Road was also closed due to four feet of water over the roadway. Damages are estimated.
A rock slide was reported along Highway 68 between Taos and Embudo. This rock slide was likely caused by repeated rounds of rainfall and not just this one event. Exact time of the rock slide is unknown and is estimated from radar. Damages are estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
34,543
Population (ACS)
$383K
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, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 24, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES | DR |
| Aug 30, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Taos County, New Mexico?
49 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $7.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Taos County?
Hail, with 16 recorded events — 32.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Taos County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Taos County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Taos County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Taos County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Taos County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Taos 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
- Socorro County 188
- Torrance County 245
- Sierra County 149
- Union County 625
- Santa Fe County 344
- Valencia County 104
Cite this page
“Taos County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/taos-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.