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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Albuquerque, NM

Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.

Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated

No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Albuquerque, New Mexico since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
0

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
26

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Albuquerque

The highest rating among the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 3 times; the most recent, on September 13, 1988, came within 12 miles. Of the 26, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on August 19, 2025. Albuquerque has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 94 New Mexico cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 121 times since 1957, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Albuquerque has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 94 New Mexico cities.

Compare Albuquerque's storm record with another city →

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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Albuquerque

By decade

  • 2020s7
  • 2010s1
  • 2000s1
  • 1990s3
  • 1980s6
  • 1970s1
  • 1960s2
  • 1950s5
Strongest tornadoes near Albuquerque, New Mexico
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Sep 13, 1988F112 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
May 31, 1965F15 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Aug 20, 1956F124 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Jul 23, 2021EF013 mi0.03 mi0 / 0
May 17, 2021EF023 mi0.03 mi0 / 0
Aug 15, 2020EF010 mi0.01 mi0 / 0
Aug 3, 2011EF012 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Apr 16, 2005F05 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
May 20, 1991F010 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
May 15, 1991F04 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
Jul 14, 1990F04 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
Jun 8, 1989F024 mi2 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 26, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Albuquerque

The Storm Prediction Center has 121 hail reports within 10 miles of Albuquerque since 1957, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 15, 1969. The most recent report is from June 2, 2025. July has the most reports, 34.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Albuquerque since 2019 →

Weather by month in Albuquerque

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Albuquerque International Airport, NM, 5 miles south of Albuquerque at 5,310 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 67°F; December is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 64 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.9 inches a year, most of it in December. That 8.9 inches is more than at 4 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (7%). Corrales, 8 miles north, has its own station (Rio Rancho #2, NM): 9.6 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 96°F against 91°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Albuquerque International Airport, NM
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan48260.411.4
Feb54300.411.5
Mar63360.510.7
Apr70430.520.3
May80520.410.0
Jun90620.620.0
Jul91671.640.0
Aug89651.340.0
Sep83581.230.0
Oct71460.920.3
Nov57340.620.9
Dec47270.522.8
Year70468.9257.9

Averages for 1991–2020 at Albuquerque International Airport, NM (5,310 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Albuquerque

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 179 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Albuquerque: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 67 flash floods, 7 heavy rain events, 4 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 14 people and injured 16, and the NWS estimated $8.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 26, 2006. July has had the most flash floods, 40 of 67. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 88 have had fewer than Albuquerque.

  • July 20, 2021: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Albuquerque — 3 killed.

  • May 21, 2018: heavy rain event in Albuquerque — 1 killed, 5 injured.

    NWS: “An intense burst of rainfall dropped a quick one half inch to one inch of rainfall along with abundant hail in the Midtown area of Albuquerque. Six individuals occupying the urban flood control system were swept away.”

  • July 31, 2020: heavy rain event in Albuquerque — 1 killed, 1 injured.

    NWS: “Two men occupying the Embudo Arroyo were swept away from flood waters that occurred with a severe thunderstorm over the Albuquerque east side. One man was rescued with help from bystanders.”

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.

Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings

Flood insurance policyholders in Albuquerque's 16 ZIP codes have filed 168 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2006, with 25. 1% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 25 New Mexico cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 22 have fewer than Albuquerque.

Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2000, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 5, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bernalillo County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $153.9 million a year, the 2nd highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $93.2 million (61%), is from inland flooding.

Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 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).

Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).

What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.

Cities near Albuquerque

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