McKinley County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within McKinley County: 0.
2. 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.

Every large fire

1. 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

1. 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.

Claims by ZIP code

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.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. 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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. 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 county boundary (or inside the county).
2. 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.

Volcanoes within 100 miles

1. U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.

USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by USGS Conterminous (124).

1. 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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 18, 2012Wildfire, Northwest Plateau$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wildfire along CR 1491 burned quickly out of control in the bosque along the San Juan River and consumed more than 350 acres, 5 homes, and 12 outbuildings.

2. Jul 21, 2026Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain totaling 2.00 to 2.50 inches produced flash flooding in Zuni forcing evacuations along Old Gallup Road, St. Anthony Dr., Chavez Circle, and NM 53. Power was knocked out on the southwest side of the village. A social media video showed many homes and streets inundated with water across town. The NM Dept. of Homeland Security and Emergency Management relayed reports of three levee breaches in the Zuni Pueblo area, 112 structures having minor damage, 15 structures with moderate damage, and 1 undergoing structural collapse. Damage is an estimate.

3. Jun 15, 2014Wildfire, Northwest Plateau$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Incident management reported 14,712 acres consumed in the Chuska Mountains to the east of Crystal, New Mexico. At least 24 structures and 4 outbuildings were destroyed.

4. Jul 16, 2026Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Videos from local media and social media showed significant flooding from 1.64 of rain with 3 to 5 feet of water on roadways across Gallup with several vehicles trapped in high water. At least 12 vehicles stranded in several inches of flood waters and mud resulting in water rescues. Numerous roadways were damaged across town. Dozens of buildings and residences have basements full of water. The historic El Rancho Hotel had 4 feet of water in their basement. Flood damage is an estimate.

5. Apr 27, 2025Wildfire, West Central Highlands$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Balsam Wildfire was discovered during a very dry and critical fire weather event on the evening of April 27th, in Grants, NM. Fire crews were able to keep the fire to just 3 to 5 acres, but it unfortunately burned through a residential area. The Grants Fire Chief reported 7 structures were impacted with 2 firemen injured. Damage is an estimate.

6. Dec 1, 2011High Wind, West Central Highlands$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Two commercial buildings, one home and two motels sustained roof damage from high winds around Grants. In addition, one business sustained minor roof damage in Milan. Numerous trees were toppled and limbs were blown down.

7. Jul 4, 2015Flash Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused State Road 491 north of Gallup to close due to flooding and debris. County Emergency Manager reported flash flooding caused 4 inches of mud and 8 inches of water to enter a juvenile center on the east side of town. He also noted that a few bridges were temporarily closed due to flood waters, along with numerous county roads suffering damage. Exact location and extent of damage was unknown. Allen Joe Begay of White Cone, Arizona was swept away in flood waters while in the Rio Puerco.

8. May 16, 2021Wildfire, Northwest Plateau$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A grass fire started on Road 5211 near U.S. Highway 64 between Bloomfield and Lee Acres on the evening of May 16th. The fire spread quickly and engulfed a family home with a detached garage. The residence was completely destroyed, and the three family dogs that were inside at the time tragically died. There was also reported damage to an additional outbuilding. The fire prompted an evacuation of the area, but residents were permitted to return late on May 16th. By the morning of May 17th, the fire was 5 percent contained, but no longer posed a threat to any other structures. Damages are estimated for the loss of the residence as well as damages to the outbuilding.

9. Jun 9, 2022Wildfire, West Central Highlands$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Cerro Bandera Fire began on June 9th on private land within the El Malpais National Monument. Dry and windy conditions allowed this fire to spread to 939 acres before it was contained on June 16th. Four structures, including one home, were destroyed. No other information was given. Damages are estimated.

10. Aug 5, 2012Flash Flood$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Flooding was reported into Thoreau Baptist Church, Giant Gas Station, Thoreau Chapter House as well as multiple other businesses and 6 homes. Several bridges and roads were also washed over with debris, including state roads 118, 371 and 612 and county roads 61, 27, 51, and Castle Rock.

1. 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.

All-time high

101°F4 times, most recently Jul 17, 2023

All-time low

−34°FDec 23, 1990

Warmest night

70°FJun 24, 2016

Coldest day

8°FFeb 2, 2011

Wettest day

2.36 inApr 16, 1988

Snowiest day

10.5 inDec 5, 1992

Hottest year

2022mean 51.9°F

Coldest year

1975mean 46.1°F

Wettest year

199715.83 in

Driest year

19895.44 in

Snowiest season

60.4 in1990-91

Station Gallup Municipal Airport (USW00023081), 6,464 ft elevation, 8.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1973 to October 26, 2026; 99.5% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00023081.
• 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.
• Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
• 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.