NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Socorro, 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 Socorro, New Mexico since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Socorro
The highest rating among the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 13, 2012, came within 21 miles. The most recent tornado was on July 5, 2012. Of the 94 New Mexico cities on this site, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Socorro. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Socorro has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 94 New Mexico cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Socorro
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2012 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1950 | F1 | 20 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2012 | EF0 | 7 mi | 0.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1954 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Socorro
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Socorro since 1960, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on October 5, 2004. The most recent report is from September 18, 2023. October has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Socorro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Socorro, NM, 8 miles north of Socorro at 4,593 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 63°F; December is the coolest, at 51°F and 24°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 82 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. That 10.0 inches is more than at 13 of the 58 New Mexico stations used on this site (22%). Magdalena, 28 miles northwest, has its own station (Augustine 2E, NM): 13.2 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 23 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Feb | 59 | 28 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Mar | 67 | 34 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Apr | 75 | 41 | 0.3 | 1 |
| May | 83 | 49 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Jun | 91 | 57 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Jul | 92 | 63 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Aug | 89 | 61 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Sep | 84 | 53 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Oct | 73 | 42 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Nov | 61 | 31 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Dec | 51 | 24 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Year | 73 | 42 | 10.0 | 23 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Socorro, NM (4,593 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 Socorro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 16 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Socorro: 8 flash floods, 5 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $953,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 28, 2013. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 8. Of the 92 New Mexico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 34 have had fewer than Socorro.
July 15, 2017: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Socorro — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 93-year old woman died from a lightning caused fire at her home of 80 years. She died from smoke inhalation.”
July 26, 2013: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Socorro — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous reports of roads flooded, washed out, and damaged in eastern portion of Socorro County. 2 million dollars.”
July 26, 2020: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Socorro — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency management and NMDOT officials reported flash flooding in the area between Luis Lopez and San Antonio. State Road 1 was closed between mile markers 51 and 60 due to flood waters and debris over the roadway.”
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 Socorro's ZIP code 87801 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1999, and were paid $80,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 25 New Mexico cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 4 have fewer than Socorro.
Socorro County, which includes Socorro, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2000, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 fires, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 5, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Socorro County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.4 million a year, the 20th highest of 33 New Mexico counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.4 million (76%), 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 Socorro
- Magdalena, NM28 mi
- Belen, NM49 mi
- Mountainair, NM53 mi
- Truth Or Consequences, NM57 mi
- Los Lunas, NM59 mi
- Peralta, NM63 mi
- Bosque Farms, NM64 mi
- Estancia, NM73 mi
- Laguna, NM74 mi
- Acoma, NM77 mi
- Tularosa, NM79 mi
- Paraje, NM81 mi
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