NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gallup, 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 Gallup, New Mexico since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 1 tornado has touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 1
- 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 Gallup
The only tornado within 25 miles, on May 13, 2023, has no rating; its path came within 10 miles. Of the 94 New Mexico cities on this site, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gallup. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 4 times since 1969, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 94 New Mexico cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gallup.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Gallup
By decade
- 2020s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2023 | Unrated | 10 mi | 0.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 1 of 1, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gallup
The Storm Prediction Center has 4 hail reports within 10 miles of Gallup since 1969. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 2 days, most recently September 21, 1997. The most recent report is from October 20, 2010.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gallup
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gallup Municipal Airport, NM, 3 miles southeast of Gallup at 6,471 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 55°F; December is the coolest, at 45°F and 14°F. August is the wettest at 1.9 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 10.7 inches over 32 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 35 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 198 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.8 inches a year, most of it in December. That 10.7 inches is more than at 19 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (33%). Window Rock, AZ, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Window Rock Airport, AZ): 11.5 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 14 | 0.8 | 3 | 6.3 |
| Feb | 50 | 19 | 0.7 | 3 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 59 | 23 | 0.6 | 2 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 66 | 28 | 0.5 | 2 | 2.3 |
| May | 75 | 36 | 0.6 | 2 | 1.1 |
| Jun | 86 | 45 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 55 | 1.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 53 | 1.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 44 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 31 | 0.9 | 3 | 1.5 |
| Nov | 56 | 20 | 0.7 | 2 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 45 | 14 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.8 |
| Year | 67 | 32 | 10.7 | 32 | 33.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gallup Municipal Airport, NM (6,471 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 Gallup
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 32 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gallup: 17 thunderstorm wind reports and 15 flash floods. They killed 4 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $425,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on August 9, 2018. August has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 57 have had fewer than Gallup.
July 11, 2008: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Gallup — 3 killed, $40,000 damage.
September 28, 2025: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Gallup — 1 killed.
NWS: “A woman driving home on New Mexico Highway 602 about 5 miles south of Gallup was swept away in floodwaters, according to Navajo Nation and New Mexico State Police. Tragically, her deceased body was found after a five day search and rescue operation in nearby areas.”
December 15, 2021: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Gallup — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “As a snow squall with associated lightning moved through the Gallup area, it resulted in estimated 75 mph winds. Multiple reports of damage were received in the Gallup area due to the high winds.”
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 Gallup's ZIP code 87301 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $31,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 25 New Mexico cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 7 have fewer than Gallup.
McKinley County, which includes Gallup, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 5, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McKinley County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.8 million a year, the 17th highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.4 million (74%), 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 Gallup
- Mentmore, NM5 mi
- Gamerco, NM6 mi
- Yatahey, NM11 mi
- Window Rock, AZ15 mi
- Vanderwagen, NM17 mi
- St. Michaels, AZ21 mi
- Crownpoint, NM32 mi
- Thoreau, NM37 mi
- Sanders, AZ37 mi
- Ganado, AZ46 mi
- Prewitt, NM49 mi
- Tsaile, AZ54 mi
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