Tornadoes · United States · New Mexico

Tornadoes in San Miguel County, New Mexico

16 tornadoes have crossed San Miguel County since 1950, 13th of the 31 counties in New Mexico with a tornado on record, an average of one every 4.8 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 0. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
16
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, June 27, 1992

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 13 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in San Miguel County. Each year links to every tornado in New Mexico that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF0
20241Unrated
20231EF0
20211Unrated
20082EF0
19981F0
19921F2
19901F0
19821F1
19811F1
19741F1
19661F1
19622F0

Every tornado that crossed San Miguel County

16 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 18, 20252:45 PM MDTUnratedSan Miguel0.110
May 26, 20252:26 PM MDTEF0San Miguel1.350
July 5, 20243:50 PM MDTUnratedSan Miguel0.010
October 1, 20236:12 PM MDTEF0San Miguel1.350$100,000
June 12, 20215:30 PM MDTUnratedSan Miguel4.6100
May 28, 20088:27 PM MDTEF0San Miguel0.225
May 28, 20085:45 PM MDTEF0San Miguel0.6100
August 3, 19981:55 PM MDTF0San Miguel0.130
June 27, 19922:30 PM MDTF2San Miguel0.873$5,000 to $50,000
August 14, 19906:45 PM MDTF0San Miguel0.210
June 13, 19825:00 PM MDTF1San Miguel0.110under $50
June 23, 19816:30 PM MDTF1San Miguel0.110$500 to $5,000
June 3, 19745:30 PM MDTF1San Miguel0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 18, 19663:30 PM GMT-6F1San Miguel0.810$5,000 to $50,000
August 31, 19621:25 AM GMT-7F0San Miguel0.110
August 31, 196212:25 AM GMT-7F0San Miguel0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in San Miguel CountyThe forecast for San Miguel CountyThe live radar over San Miguel CountyEvery county in New Mexico

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.