Sierra County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Sierra 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 storm within 100 miles

1. 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.

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.

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 (278).

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. Jul 26, 2020Flash Flood$2.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   There was extensive flash flooding of roads and buildings around Truth or Consequences and Williamsburg. Near-zero visibility was reported in the heavy rain along with pea sized hail. A trained spotter reported 4.10 inches of rain in about one hour. A car was washed off the road. Multiple homes were evacuated around the two towns. The Rio Grande was threatening to exit its banks, therefore causing Elephant Butte Dam having to be closed.

2. Aug 17, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm survey revealed numerous boats damaged at Marina Del Sur on the south end of Elephant Butte Lake. A couple of metal roofs covering the boats were torn off and/or collapsed and concrete slabs anchoring down the structures were pulled out of the water. An eyewitness described a downburst lasting 15 minutes with torrential rainfall and zero visibility. Property damage was in excess of $1 million.

3. Jun 29, 1996Flash Flood$1.0 million
4. Sep 11, 2002Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Persistent heavy rains from thunderstorms repeatedly moving over the same area resulted in Cuchillo creek spilling out of its banks and damaging most of the roads from Cuchillo northwestward toward Monticello. Residents around Cuchillo were told to evacuate. Floodwaters, initially a flash flood, remained at least until the following morning. Estimates of two inches of rain fell on ground saturated from days of previous heavy rains.

5. Sep 13, 2013Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Sierra County Emergency Manager reported several bridges washed out and evacuations taking place around Truth or Consequences. A total of 3.35 inches of rain was reported at the New Mexico State Veterans Home. One death was reported by State Police in Ash Canyon near Elephant Butte Dam. A newspaper report said several dams were breached and over 200 homes were evacuated. Several roads were closed and bridges washed out due to flooding including along Highway 187.

6. Jul 9, 2008Flash Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Two thunderstorms with very heavy rain passed over Truth or Consequences and Elephant Butte. Highways 51 and 195 were closed, and many other streets were impassable. Water entered businesses along Broadway Street downtown. A 7 foot deep wall of water in Ash Canyon (east of Truth or Consequences) washed out Highway 51 and triggered mudslides.

7. Aug 31, 2008Flash Flood$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Cuchillo Creek overflowed, closing nearby roads as well as Highway 187 near Las Palomas. Levees were washed out and at least one home was heavily damaged.

8. Sep 11, 2009Flash Flood$125,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   More than 2.5 inches of rain resulted in flash flooding around Palomas. At least 5 homes were inundated and several cars were stranded in flood waters.

9. Jul 1, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   At least 12 RV trailers were blown over and flipped in Elephant Butte State Park between Hot Springs Landing and Rock Canyon Marina. Some were displaced 30 to 40 yards and a few even went airborne. Winds of more than 70 mph were measured at Marina Del Sur. Damage survey assessment team found damage indicative of 80 to 90 mph. Several people in the town of Elephant Butte lost their porches and had a lot of roof damage as well.

10. Aug 13, 2006Flash Flood$80,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Major street flooding was reported in Truth or Consequences, with the downtown area and points east hardest hit. Water entered businesses and the high school causing damage.

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

107°F4 times, most recently Jul 12, 2020

All-time low

−6°FFeb 3, 2011

Warmest night

82°FJul 20, 2022

Coldest day

11°F2 times, most recently Feb 2, 2011

Wettest day

3.28 inSep 13, 2013

Snowiest day

7.0 in2 times, most recently Jan 1, 1975

Hottest year

2017mean 64.6°F

Coldest year

1975mean 57.9°F

Wettest year

197214.64 in

Driest year

20123.15 in

Snowiest season

17.9 in1965-66

Station Truth Or Consequences Municipal Airport (USW00093045), 4,823 ft elevation, 9.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1950 to October 26, 2026; 99.3% 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 USW00093045.
• 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.