NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Questa, 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 Questa, New Mexico since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Questa
The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF0, reached 3 times; the most recent, on September 1, 2018, came within 12 miles. Of the 94 New Mexico cities on this site, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Questa. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 2012, with stones up to 0.75 inches (penny size). Of the 94 New Mexico cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Questa.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Questa
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2018 | EF0 | 12 mi | 0.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2018 | EF0 | 22 mi | 2.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 2009 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Questa
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Questa since 2012. None of them reached 1 inch. The largest size, 0.75 inches (penny size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 17, 2021. The most recent report is from May 17, 2021.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Questa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cerro, NM, in Questa at 7,650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 49°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 8°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 206 nights a year. Snowfall averages 61.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 13.5 inches is more than at 37 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (64%). El Prado, 18 miles south, has its own station (Taos, NM): 12.8 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 8 | 0.7 | 3 | 12.7 |
| Feb | 42 | 14 | 0.7 | 3 | 11.7 |
| Mar | 53 | 21 | 0.9 | 3 | 8.0 |
| Apr | 62 | 27 | 1.0 | 3 | 4.3 |
| May | 70 | 35 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.7 |
| Jun | 80 | 44 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 49 | 1.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 48 | 2.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 41 | 1.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 30 | 1.0 | 4 | 3.4 |
| Nov | 51 | 19 | 0.8 | 3 | 6.8 |
| Dec | 38 | 9 | 0.9 | 3 | 13.9 |
| Year | 61 | 29 | 13.5 | 43 | 61.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cerro, NM (7,650 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 Questa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 5 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Questa: 4 flash floods and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 58 mph, on June 9, 2026.
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
Taos County, which includes Questa, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 5, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Taos County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.8 million a year, the 14th highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.1 million (65%), 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 Questa
- El Prado, NM18 mi
- Taos, NM22 mi
- Ranchos De Taos, NM25 mi
- Alcalde, NM51 mi
- Alamosa, CO53 mi
- Ohkay Owingeh, NM53 mi
- Chimayo, NM55 mi
- Hernandez, NM55 mi
- Espanola, NM58 mi
- Monte Vista, CO65 mi
- Raton, NM66 mi
- Trinidad, CO69 mi
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