Valencia County, New Mexico severe weather history spans 104 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 34.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,870 nationally and #28 in New Mexico.
104
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$12.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Valencia County, New Mexico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Valencia County, New Mexico severe weather history averages 1.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 38 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 92 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Valencia County, New Mexico record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $9.0M 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 Valencia County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 36 | 0 | $1.5M | 70 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 32 | 0 | $1.7M | 4.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $9.0M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 7 | 1 | $276K | F2 | 1954–2021 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $225K | 0 | 2006–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Valencia 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
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-04-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-08-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-07-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Valencia County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 8 | $250K | |
| May 24, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | LOS CHAVEZ | 0 | 2 | $1.2M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain in Belen resulted in significant flash flooding across the town. Over two inches of rain breached the Belen Highline Canal which caused flooding along Main Street. An unknown amount of homes and businesses were damaged from the water. The New Mexico Governor signed an executive order declaring a State of Emergency in Valencia County due to the flooding. Damages are estimated.
State EOC Situation Reports detailed that 40 families were evacuated from Highland Meadow neighborhood due to flooding. A culvert 25' wide by 10' deep was completely destroyed and National Guard assisted recovery effort using mobile bridge. Another 20 families affected. A total of 7 structures were damaged in the mult-day event.
Most of Belen and the surrounding communities experienced some degree of flooding with water 2 to 3 feet deep in some locations. Flash flooding caused a mudslide on the Interstate 25 exit ramp at Camino Del Llano. A nearby diner was also flooded. Flood waters also entered a few homes. In addition, the wall of a welding shop succombed to the pressure of flood waters on it and buckled.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
78,458
Population (ACS)
$223K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM |
| Jun 22, 2025 | Fire | COTTON 2 FIRE | FM |
| Jun 21, 2025 | Fire | DESERT WILLOW FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Apr 18, 2025 | Fire | RIO GRANDE FIRE | FM |
| May 4, 2022 | Fire | WILDFIRES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, MUDFLOWS, AND DEBRIS FLOWS | DR |
| Apr 11, 2022 | Fire | BIG HOLE FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Valencia County, New Mexico?
104 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $12.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Valencia County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 36 recorded events — 34.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Valencia County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Valencia County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Valencia County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Valencia County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Valencia County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Valencia 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
- Union County 625
- Torrance County 245
- Taos County 49
- Socorro County 188
- Sierra County 149
- Santa Fe County 344
Cite this page
“Valencia County, New Mexico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-mexico/valencia-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.