NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Prewitt, 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 Prewitt, 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 Prewitt
The only tornado within 25 miles was an EF0 on May 30, 2019; its path came within 14 miles. Of the 94 New Mexico cities on this site, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Prewitt. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2010, with stones of 0.88 inches (nickel size). Of the 94 New Mexico cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Prewitt.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Prewitt
By decade
- 2010s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2019 | EF0 | 14 mi | 0.42 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 Prewitt
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Prewitt, from August 5, 2010: 0.88 inches (nickel size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Prewitt
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Thoreau 12 SE, NM, 12 miles southwest of Prewitt at 7,425 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 52°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 12°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 205 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 12.4 inches is more than at 30 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (52%). Milan, 16 miles south, has its own station (Grants Airport, NM): 9.7 inches a year, 2.7 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 12 | 0.8 | 3 | 8.9 |
| Feb | 51 | 18 | 0.6 | 2 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 59 | 23 | 0.6 | 2 | 2.3 |
| Apr | 67 | 29 | 0.7 | 2 | 1.4 |
| May | 76 | 37 | 0.8 | 2 | 1.1 |
| Jun | 88 | 46 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 52 | 2.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 50 | 2.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 42 | 1.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 30 | 0.9 | 3 | 1.1 |
| Nov | 58 | 20 | 0.7 | 2 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 48 | 13 | 0.9 | 3 | 6.5 |
| Year | 68 | 31 | 12.4 | 37 | 30.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Thoreau 12 SE, NM (7,425 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 Prewitt
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 5 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Prewitt: 5 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $148,000 in property and crop damage. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 21 have had fewer than Prewitt.
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
McKinley County, which includes Prewitt, 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 Prewitt
- Thoreau, NM13 mi
- Milan, NM16 mi
- Grants, NM20 mi
- Crownpoint, NM26 mi
- Paraje, NM39 mi
- Acoma, NM40 mi
- Gamerco, NM46 mi
- Cuba, NM46 mi
- Vanderwagen, NM47 mi
- Yatahey, NM49 mi
- Gallup, NM49 mi
- Laguna, NM51 mi
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