NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit La Mesa, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of La Mesa, New Mexico since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1929. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 9
- 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 La Mesa
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed La Mesa; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1929, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 16 miles away. La Mesa is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 94 New Mexico cities on this site. The highest rating among the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 31, 1979, came within 13 miles. Of the 9, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 13, 2011. Of the 94 New Mexico cities, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than La Mesa. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1965, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 94 New Mexico cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than La Mesa.
Compare La Mesa's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near La Mesa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in La Mesa: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of La Mesa
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 1979 | F1 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1959 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 2011 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 2007 | EF0 | 18 mi | 8.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2006 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 2002 | F0 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2001 | F0 | 12 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 1988 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 19, 1972 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in La Mesa
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of La Mesa since 1965, made on 10 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on October 21, 2015. The most recent report is from January 14, 2017. October has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in La Mesa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is State Univ, NM, 9 miles north of La Mesa at 3,886 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 69°F; December is the coolest, at 58°F and 30°F. July is the wettest at 1.8 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 9.2 inches over 22 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 109 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 69 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.0 inches a year, most of it in January and December. That 9.2 inches is more than at 6 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (10%). Vado, 5 miles east, has its own station (La Tuna 1 S, TX): 9.0 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 30 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 64 | 34 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 71 | 39 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 79 | 46 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| May | 87 | 54 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 96 | 64 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 96 | 69 | 1.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 68 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 61 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 80 | 48 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 68 | 37 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 58 | 30 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Year | 78 | 48 | 9.2 | 22 | 1.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at State Univ, NM (3,886 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 La Mesa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 16 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of La Mesa: 10 flash floods and 6 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $293,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on October 23, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 44 have had fewer than La Mesa.
July 22, 2025: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of La Mesa — $250,000 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
Doña Ana County, which includes La Mesa, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Doña Ana 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; Very Low for hurricanes and tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $163.6 million a year, the highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $133.2 million (81%), 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.