Torrance County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 (43).

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 21, 2025Wildfire, Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Cotton fire was discovered in the afternoon of 6/21 while the Cotton II was discovered on the morning of 6/22 and determined to be human caused. Both quickly became combined into the Desert Willow Complex Fire on 6/22 burning in the bosque area on both sides of the Rio Grande north and south of Main Street Bridge in Los Lunas. Unfortunately, 11 structures were destroyed with 9 of them homes, and 4 other structures were damaged. Media reported 12 firefighters were treated for smoke and heat injuries while two firefighters were hospitalized. Evacuations were ordered for residences in the area, ending by the 23rd. The Cotton fire burned 95 acres while the Cotton II fire burned…

2. Apr 11, 2022Wildfire, Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   With a dangerous fire weather pattern in place across all of northern and central New Mexico due to exceptionally dry conditions and very strong winds, the stage was set for fires to spread quickly. On April 11, 2022, a human-caused wildfire was started northeast of Belen. The Big Hole Fire spread quickly to 890 acres by April 15th with 60 percent containment, and the wildfire was finally 100 percent contained on April 25th. One home was destroyed while eighteen outbuildings were also destroyed, but over one hundred other residences were threatened due to its close proximity to Belen. One firefighter was injured while responding. Damages are estimated.

3. Apr 19, 2025Heavy Snow, Central Highlands$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A trained spotter at the Bowlins Flying C Ranch Gas Station observed between 8.5 to 9 inches of snowfall. According to the Torrance County Sheriff's Office, I-40 was closed from Clines Corners to Moriarty from 4/19/2025 15:00 to 22:00 local standard time. This was due to slick road conditions and low visibility from snow resulting in 5 separate crashes involving around 15 vehicles. The crashes involved mostly semitrucks and a few RVs and passenger vehicles. Thankfully, drivers and passengers only suffered minor injuries.

4. Jun 25, 2017Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major hail storm struck Interstate 40 at State Road 3 producing significant damage and impacts to travel. Hail up to the size of tennis balls slammed the Interstate. Numerous vehicles had windshields smashed out. Traffic was stopped for over two hours. Emergency response personnel attended to several stranded vehicles with injured motorists. Hail was up to five inches deep and flooding was reported along highway.

5. Feb 22, 2023High Wind, Sandia/Manzano Mountains Including Edgewood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An amateur radio spotter reported down transmission and communication towers at the Sandia Crest.

6. Apr 17, 2025Wildfire, Middle Rio Grande Valley/Albuquerque Metro Area$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Valencia County emergency management confirmed a wildfire burning within the bosque along the west side of the Rio Grande on Bureau of Indian Affairs land during the afternoon of April 17th. Strong and very dry southwesterly winds creating critical fire weather conditions allowed the fire to jump the Rio Grande River and into Bosque Farms just south of the Valencia and Bernalillo County line. Evacuations were ordered in Bosque Farms between Truchas Trail and Cottonwood Drive west of West Bosque Loop. The fire caused major damage to three homes with two of those being destroyed. There are no reports of injuries or fatalities. Damage is an estimate based on number of homes destroyed.

7. Mar 23, 2021Winter Storm, Estancia Valley$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The combination of heavy snow and strong winds resulted in severe driving conditions along Interstate 40 east of Moriarty for several hours on March 24. The poor conditions led to a major accident involving multiple vehicles 10 miles east of Moriarty along Interstate 40. Thirty-nine vehicles were involved of which thirty-five were tractor trailers. As a result, Interstate 40 was closed into the morning hours of March 25th. Eleven people were injured, but no fatalities occurred. Damages are estimated for the multiple vehicles involved.

8. Apr 2, 2023Wildfire, Estancia Valley$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Echo Ridge fire started as a grassfire and quickly spread south of Moriarty to the Echo Ridge community. The Torrance County emergency manager requested the National Weather Service to issue a fire warning for people within the community to evacuate. Unfortunately the fire still destroyed three homes and seven outbuildings according to media reports the next day. The fire burned 175 acres, and was reported to be mostly contained by the afternoon of April 2nd.

9. Dec 1, 2020Winter Weather, Sandia/Manzano Mountains Including Edgewood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very slick travel conditions along Interstate 40 between Tijeras and Sedillo Hill resulted in multiple crashes involving 10 semi-trucks. Remarkably, only two motorists were sent to a local hospital for minor injuries. Damage amounts are a rough estimate for significant damage or total loss to several of the commercial vehicles.

10. Dec 3, 2025Winter Weather, Central Highlands$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Local news station KOB reported a deadly semi-truck crash along I-40 just east of Clines Corners. The semi-truck lost control and rolled over with another semi-truck crashing into it, with two other trucks crashing into them. The first semi-truck is likely the one that caught fire and became engulfed in flames. There was unfortunately one fatality reported while another was taken to the hospital. Damage is an estimate of the four crashed trucks.

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

102°FJun 26, 1994

All-time low

−25°FJan 7, 1971

Warmest night

78°FJun 29, 1963

Coldest day

−4°FFeb 2, 2011

Wettest day

4.00 inJul 5, 1974

Snowiest day

21.0 inMar 10, 1909

Hottest year

2020mean 55.8°F

Coldest year

1930mean 49.2°F

Wettest year

194127.00 in

Driest year

20176.29 in

Snowiest season

94.2 in1914-15

Station Mountainair (USC00295965), 6,520 ft elevation, 25.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1902 to October 27, 2026; 90.3% 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 USC00295965.
• 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.