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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thoreau, 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 Thoreau, New Mexico since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 2 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
0

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
2

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Thoreau

The strongest of the 2 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF0 on May 30, 2019; its path came within 18 miles. The most recent tornado was on June 14, 2024. Of the 94 New Mexico cities on this site, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Thoreau.

Compare Thoreau's storm record with another city →

Tornadoes within 25 miles of Thoreau

By decade

  • 2020s1
  • 2010s1
Strongest tornadoes near Thoreau, New Mexico
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 30, 2019EF018 mi0.42 mi0 / 0
Jun 14, 2024Unrated21 mi2.55 mi0 / 0

The strongest 2 of 2, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Thoreau

The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of Thoreau since 1955.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Thoreau

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Thoreau 12 SE, NM, 14 miles south of Thoreau 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%). Crownpoint, 14 miles northwest, has its own station (Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM): 12.7 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 89°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Thoreau 12 SE, NM
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan48120.838.9
Feb51180.625.9
Mar59230.622.3
Apr67290.721.4
May76370.821.1
Jun88460.620.0
Jul89522.060.0
Aug86502.470.0
Sep81421.440.0
Oct70300.931.1
Nov58200.723.4
Dec48130.936.5
Year683112.43730.6

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.

Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings

McKinley County, which includes Thoreau, 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.

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