NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Aztec, 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 Aztec, New Mexico since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 12
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Aztec
The strongest of the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on May 10, 1957; its path came within 18 miles. Of the 12, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. May and October have had the most tornadoes, 3 each. The most recent tornado was on March 21, 2020. Aztec has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 62% of the 94 New Mexico cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 1965, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 94 New Mexico cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Aztec.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Aztec
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s3
- 1990s3
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1957 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 5, 2004 | F1 | 22 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1999 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1966 | F1 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 2020 | EF0 | 22 mi | 0.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2015 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 18, 2013 | EF0 | 19 mi | 0.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2000 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2000 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1992 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1990 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1963 | F0 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Aztec
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Aztec since 1965. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on August 2, 1965. The most recent report is from October 7, 2010.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Aztec
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Aztec Ruins Nm, NM, 2 miles west of Aztec at 5,644 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 17°F. August is the wettest at 1.3 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 10.1 inches over 30 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 61 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 158 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 10.1 inches is more than at 14 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (24%). Farmington, 17 miles southwest, has its own station (Farmington Regional Airport, NM): 7.9 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 17 | 0.9 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 53 | 22 | 0.8 | 3 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 63 | 27 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 71 | 33 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.2 |
| May | 80 | 41 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 50 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 58 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 57 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 49 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 36 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 58 | 25 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 46 | 18 | 0.7 | 3 | 2.2 |
| Year | 71 | 36 | 10.1 | 30 | 10.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Aztec Ruins Nm, NM (5,644 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 Aztec
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 16 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Aztec: 9 flash floods, 6 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on August 26, 2015. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 9. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 38 have had fewer than Aztec.
August 24, 2009: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Aztec — 1 injured.
August 26, 2015: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Aztec — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Blanco Arroyo overflowed its banks and, combined with heavy rain across the area, led to significant flash flooding. Firefighters rescued a few individuals from the roofs of their homes, otherwise no major injuries or fatalities were reported.”
August 26, 2015: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Aztec — $350,000 damage.
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 Aztec's ZIP code 87410 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2000, and were paid $407,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 10. Of the 25 New Mexico cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 7 have fewer than Aztec.
San Juan County, which includes Aztec, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was South Fork Fire, Salt Fire, and Flooding, on June 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives San Juan County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $44.1 million a year, the 7th highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $31.1 million (70%), 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 Aztec
- Flora Vista, NM7 mi
- Farmington, NM17 mi
- Bloomfield, NM18 mi
- Kirtland, NM23 mi
- Hesperus, CO23 mi
- Ignacio, CO25 mi
- Fruitland, NM30 mi
- Durango, CO32 mi
- Bayfield, CO40 mi
- Mancos, CO41 mi
- Shiprock, NM47 mi
- Cortez, CO50 mi
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