NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Capitan, 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 Capitan, New Mexico since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 8
- 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 Capitan
The highest rating among the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 8, 2014, came within 3 miles. Of the 8, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 28, 2021. Of the 94 New Mexico cities on this site, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Capitan. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 2007, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Of the 94 New Mexico cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Capitan.
Compare Capitan's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Capitan
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3
- 2000s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 2014 | EF1 | 3 mi | 1.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1987 | F1 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1972 | F1 | 20 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 1971 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2021 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2019 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2017 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 2007 | EF0 | 3 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Capitan
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Capitan since 2007. All were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on August 9, 2013. The most recent report is from July 17, 2014.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Capitan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Capitan, NM, 17 miles southwest of Capitan at 6,480 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 55°F; December is the coolest, at 50°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 16.6 inches over 42 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 16.6 inches is more than at 51 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (88%). Alto, 25 miles southwest, has its own station (Ruidoso, NM): 22.0 inches a year, 5.4 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 24 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.1 |
| Feb | 55 | 27 | 0.5 | 2 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 62 | 30 | 0.6 | 2 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 36 | 0.4 | 2 | 1.1 |
| May | 77 | 44 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 87 | 51 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 55 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 54 | 2.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 48 | 2.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 38 | 1.1 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 30 | 1.1 | 2 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 50 | 24 | 0.9 | 3 | 8.7 |
| Year | 69 | 38 | 16.6 | 42 | 27.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Capitan, NM (6,480 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.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Lincoln County, which includes Capitan, has been named in 35 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 fires, 9 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lincoln County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.8 million a year, the 12th highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.9 million (43%), 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 Capitan
- Alto, NM25 mi
- Ruidoso Downs, NM28 mi
- Ruidoso, NM30 mi
- Mescalero, NM43 mi
- Roswell, NM54 mi
- Tularosa, NM56 mi
- Cloudcroft, NM56 mi
- Alamogordo, NM69 mi
- Dexter, NM70 mi
- Holloman Afb, NM72 mi
- Mountainair, NM73 mi
- Hagerman, NM77 mi
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