Luna County, NM Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Low natural hazard risk, led by drought. 418 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $11M
- Very Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 418
- Most often drought
- Flood insurance policies
- 23
- 0.2% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 1 tropical storm or stronger since 1929
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Low
Score 51.6 of 100
Social vulnerability
Very High
Score 80.9 of 100
Community resilience
Very Low
Score 1.3 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $4.9B · Agriculture value exposed: $102M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $17.6M
Risk by hazard
- DroughtRelatively High$3M/yr expected annual loss, about 117 events a year
- WildfireRelatively Low$335K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,206 years
- Heat waveRelatively Moderate$1.1M/yr expected annual loss, about 3.6 events a year
- LightningRelatively Moderate$230K/yr expected annual loss, about 52 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively Low$58.3K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.6 events a year
- EarthquakeVery Low$222K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 778 years
- Cold waveRelatively Low$513K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10 years
- HailVery Low$74.2K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
- AvalancheVery Low$36/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
- Ice stormVery Low$6,154/yr expected annual loss, about once every 67 years
- HurricaneVery Low$1,144/yr expected annual loss, about once every 182 years
- TornadoVery Low$22.5K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 17 years
- Strong windVery Low$15K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 5 years
- LandslideVery Low$3/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 23 of 10,490 (0.2%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 322
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 15 (5%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 4
- Claims paid since 1978
- $151K
Flood claims paid per year
Storm history
Since 1996: 418 events, 1 death, $1.1M in damage
- Drought258
- Thunderstorm Wind37
- Flash Flood32
- Hail23
- Dust Storm23 · 1 death
- High Wind21
- Flood7
- Heavy Snow6
- Heavy Rain6
- Excessive Heat2
Events per year
4 tornadoes on record (F0 1, F1 2).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Dust Storm04/17/2025
Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin
1 death, 5 injured
What happened
Widespread dust swept across Luna county causing near zero visibilities, several accidents including 5 injuries and 1 fatality were reported. Two separate wrecks occurred on Interstate 10 between mile markers 93 and 94 due to dust. One of these wrecks caused a fatality. Another wreck was reported on NM-549 near mile marker nine which caused 4 injuries.
- Flash Flood07/13/2008
Deming, Luna County
$400K damage
What happened
About 3 inches of rain fell within an hour over already-saturated ground in the western portion of Deming. Major street flooding occurred, with most roads closed west of Highway 11. This same area was under 2 to 3 feet of water which entered homes and businesses. Power was out in the majority of the city as water logged power poles were easily knocked over by 45 mph wind gusts.
- Flash Flood08/12/2005
Deming, Luna County
$200K damage
Drinking water
5 community water systems serve about 19,426 people. Violations since 2021.
5 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 4 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Deming Municipal Water SystemServes 16,788 · Groundwater · Local government7 health violations+5 monitoring or reporting
- Columbus Water SystemServes 2,230 · Groundwater · Local government2 health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Desert Vista Rv VillageServes 222 · Groundwater · Private5 health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
- Pecan Park MdwcaServes 110 · Groundwater · Local government7 health violations+17 monitoring or reporting
- Peoples Water CoopServes 76 · Groundwater · Private4 health violations+10 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Deming, 4.5 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 97°F in Jun and winter lows bottom out near 28°F in Jan. About 8.8 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 1.0 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°F | 28°F | 0.60 in | 0.5 in |
| Feb | 64°F | 31°F | 0.49 in | 0.1 in |
| Mar | 72°F | 36°F | 0.27 in | - |
| Apr | 80°F | 43°F | 0.27 in | - |
| May | 88°F | 50°F | 0.24 in | - |
| Jun | 97°F | 60°F | 0.36 in | - |
| Jul | 96°F | 66°F | 1.86 in | - |
| Aug | 94°F | 64°F | 1.53 in | - |
| Sep | 89°F | 58°F | 0.93 in | - |
| Oct | 80°F | 46°F | 0.77 in | - |
| Nov | 67°F | 34°F | 0.66 in | - |
| Dec | 57°F | 28°F | 0.79 in | 0.4 in |
| Year | 62°F average | 8.77 in | 1.0 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 0 toxic release facilities in Luna County
No Superfund sites or toxic release facilities in Luna County in our data.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk6 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Luna County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Luna County relatively low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $11M a year. The highest-rated hazards are drought (relatively high), wildfire (relatively low), heat wave (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in Luna County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 418 storm events affecting Luna County, most often drought (258), thunderstorm wind (37), flash flood (32).
- How many tornadoes have hit Luna County?
- 4 tornadoes have been recorded in Luna County since 1950.
- How many homes in Luna County have flood insurance?
- 23 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Luna County, covering about 0.2% of homes. The program has paid $151K on 4 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Luna County?
- At Deming, average highs reach 97°F in Jun and lows fall to 28°F in Jan, with 8.8 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.