Deming
Population 14,944 (2025)
3 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Deming since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on October 8, 2019.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 19503
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger1
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 19844
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Luna County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Luna County.
Strongest tornado
F1
October 9, 2006, 1.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1929, 15.4 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 25 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
October 9, 2006
F1, 1.0 mile path
200 yards wide.
Most recent
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
EFU, 0.2 mile path
7 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Oct 8, 2019 | EFU | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 9, 2006 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 9, 1971 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
1 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
June 30, 1929
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
15.4 miles at closest approach, winds near 43 mph.
Most recent
June 30, 1929
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
15.4 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Unnamed | 1929 | 15.4 | Tropical storm |
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
4 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
August 9, 1994
Goodsight Fire, 3,454 acres
22.5 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
May 1, 2014
Prom Fire
1,073 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Prom | 2014 | 16.7 | 1,073 |
| Goodsight | 1994 | 22.5 | 3,454 |
| Rest Area | 1994 | 18.7 | 1,878 |
| Shiloh | 1993 | 16.2 | 1,768 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2020: 22 days
Heavy smoke on 7 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
5.6 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
1 day
Medium or heavy smoke. 3 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
4 federal flood insurance claims since 1999, with $151,000 paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Luna County, the county that contains Deming.
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood31
- Flood7
- Heavy Rain6
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 225 of 1,581 months since 1895 (14%); the longest spell lasted 26 months.
The drought index is for Luna County, the county that contains Deming.
225
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
60
Months in extreme drought
14%
Share of all months, severe or worse
268
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
August 2026
−5.55, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
26 months
August 2024 to September 2026.
Latest month
September 2026
−3.05, severe drought
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes and landslides
13 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1977; none reached magnitude 4.
8
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
February 7, 2015
Magnitude 3.9
36 km E of Pecan Park, New Mexico; 27.4 miles away, 2.5 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
February 8, 2015
Magnitude 3.0
35 km W of Fairacres, New Mexico; 31.3 miles away.
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
Landslides mapped in Luna County.
73
Landslides mapped, probable or better
0
With a recorded date
1
Source inventory
Mapped by USGS Conterminous (73).
- Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.
USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
460 events in the National Weather Service record for Luna County, 440 of them since 1996.
20
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
46
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
9
Winter weather events since 1996
2
Heat events since 1996
2
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
August 23, 1978
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
July 23, 2013
90 mph
More event types since 1996
| Dust storms and dust devils | 25 | 1 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jul 12, 2008Flash Flood$350,000
National Weather Service narrative
About 3 inches of rain fell within an hour over already-saturated ground in the western portion of Deming. Major street flooding occurred, with most roads closed west of Highway 11. This same area was under 2 to 3 feet of water which entered homes and businesses. Power was out in the majority of the city as water logged power poles were easily knocked over by 45 mph wind gusts.
- Aug 12, 2005Flash Flood$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
At least 3 inches of rain in a short period of time caused widespread flash flooding in Deming. Numerous roads were closed, and some houses and businesses were flooded. Sandbags were put up by law enforcement.
- Aug 29, 2006Flood$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
A large cluster of thunderstorms dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain on much of the triangle between Las Cruces, Hatch and Deming, which is an unusually large area for such rainfall amounts in the desert southwest. The Placitas Arroyo near Hatch breached for the third time in 3 weeks, flooding mainly farm land. A flood wave resulted in minor flooding of the Rio Grande River downstream into the El Paso area, the third time this month. Before August 1st, the previous time was August 1999. On the north side of the Sierra De La Uvas Mountains, a huge amount of runoff flooded the desert and led to the closure of Interstate 10 between Deming and Las Cruces for several hours. Closing the…
- Jul 18, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Scattered power and phone lines were down throughout Deming.
- Sep 20, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$40,000
National Weather Service narrative
A strong thunderstorm produced a microburst which destroyed two open-sided barns and partially removed the roof of a nearby mobile home. Several outbuildings in the general area were also destroyed. Brief heavy rain and small hail accompanied the event.
- Aug 28, 2006Flash Flood$30,000
National Weather Service narrative
A large cluster of thunderstorms dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain on much of the triangle between Las Cruces, Hatch and Deming, which is an unusually large area for such rainfall amounts in the desert southwest. The Placitas Arroyo near Hatch breached for the third time in 3 weeks, flooding mainly farm land. A flood wave resulted in minor flooding of the Rio Grande River downstream into the El Paso area, the third time this month. Before August 1st, the previous time was August 1999. On the north side of the Sierra De La Uvas Mountains, a huge amount of runoff flooded the desert and led to the closure of Interstate 10 between Deming and Las Cruces for several hours. Closing the…
- Feb 1, 2011Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Southwest Desert Mimbres Basin$25,000
National Weather Service narrative
High temperatures across the region on Feb 2nd included 16F at Deming and 18F about 10 miles south of Deming. Low temperatures on the morning of Feb 3rd included -3F at Cambray near the Luna/Dona Ana County line on Interstate 10, -1F about 10 miles south of Deming, and 0F at Deming. Numerous frozen and burst water pipes were reported. The Marshall Memorial Library in Deming was closed for some time due to a break in the building's fire suppression system causing damage to the ceiling and insulation.
- Aug 8, 2022Flash Flood$25,000
National Weather Service narrative
Flash flooding occurred through the mid to late evening hours. Multiple cars were stalled across Deming, underpasses were flooded and at least one house started taking in water.
- Jul 18, 2008Flash Flood$20,000
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous roads were flooded throughout central Luna County according to the Luna County Road Department.
- Aug 2, 2001Flash Flood$20,000
National Weather Service narrative
A series of thunderstorms dropped nearly 4 inches of rain within 90 minutes on the south part of Deming, with 2 to 3 inches elsewhere in town. Highway 180 was closed due to a flooded underpass. Several vehicles were stalled in the significant street flooding that resulted.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Deming Municipal Airport, 1.9 miles from the city centre, with records from 1961.
- All-time high
- 109°F2 times, most recently Jul 10, 2020
- All-time low
- −12°FJan 11, 1962
- Warmest night
- 81°FJun 30, 2012
- Coldest day
- 16°FFeb 2, 2011
- Wettest day
- 2.15 inSep 29, 2026
- Snowiest day
- 6.0 inJan 7, 1968
- Hottest year
- 2025mean 64.8°F
- Coldest year
- 1964mean 58.9°F
- Wettest year
- 200614.03 in
- Driest year
- 20124.28 in
Station Deming Municipal Airport (USW00023078), 4,303 ft elevation, 1.9 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1961 to October 27, 2026; 87.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
7 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, April 5, 2020.
Declarations for Luna County.
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | DR-4529-NM |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3460-NM |
| Sep 30, 2013 | Severe Storm | DR-4148-NM |
| Aug 30, 2006 | Severe Storm | DR-1659-NM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3229-NM |
| May 10, 2000 | Fire | EM-3154-NM |
| Sep 22, 1999 | Severe Storm | DR-1301-NM |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00023078.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.