Valencia County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 (17).

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. Sep 29, 2017Flash Flood$7.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Retention ponds in Belen overflowing into neighborhoods on west side of Belen. Widespread street flooding in town. Travel along Interstate 25 becoming very difficult as water is ponding along the highway.

2. 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…

3. 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.

4. May 24, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe storm which began near Alamo in northwest Socorro County swept northeast across central Valencia County with high winds and large hail. Heavy wind damage from sustained winds estimated near 80 mph overturned and destroyed about 15 mobile homes and caused damage to about 150 other homes with many small outbuildings and sheds blown down in the area from Los Chavez to Tome Hill between Los Lunas and Belen. Large hail also knocked out numerous windows and broke windshields. Only two relatively minor injuries were reported in the hardest hit area. Residents had 40-60 minutes advanced warning and school officials successfully evacuated numerous portable classroom buildings…

5. Aug 17, 2008Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Golf ball size hail pounded the Belen area. Dozens of vehicles were damaged and numerous building had windows broken. Several street lights were damaged and trees were stripped of leaves.

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. 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.

8. Jul 6, 2021Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

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. Jul 31, 2006Flash Flood$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Runoff from heavy rains swept off the mesa west of town and flooded a number of homes in western Belen. Ponding problems then developed across the central areas fo the city as heavy rain of about 2 inches in an hour moved east to filled downtown area streets 10 to 15 inches deep. The situation worsened when Highline Irrigation Canal on the west side of town over topped sending additional water into adjacent neighborhoods and aggravating the high water in the downtown area where water in some intersections swelled to two feet deep. Overall about 50 homes and businesses suffered water damage and area along Main Street or Highway 314 was littered with mud and sand.

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

108°FJun 28, 2013

All-time low

−25°FJan 7, 1971

Warmest night

77°FJul 15, 1982

Coldest day

10°F2 times, most recently Jan 7, 1971

Wettest day

2.41 inAug 27, 1980

Snowiest day

10.0 inDec 5, 1992

Hottest year

2012mean 57.6°F

Coldest year

1964mean 52.2°F

Wettest year

198614.87 in

Driest year

20124.39 in

Snowiest season

18.1 in2000-01

Station Los Lunas 3 Ssw (USC00295150), 4,840 ft elevation, 2.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1957 to October 26, 2026; 97.8% 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 USC00295150.
• 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.