San Juan County, NM Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by drought. 423 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $44.07M
- Relatively Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 423
- Most often drought
- Flood insurance policies
- 135
- 0.3% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 88.3 of 100
Social vulnerability
Very High
Score 91.5 of 100
Community resilience
Very Low
Score 5.3 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $24.32B · Agriculture value exposed: $95.42M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $76.24M
Risk by hazard
- DroughtRelatively High$4.76M/yr expected annual loss, about 108 events a year
- LightningRelatively High$1.39M/yr expected annual loss, about 50 events a year
- LandslideRelatively Moderate$51.18K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.7 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively High$233K/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively Moderate$3.5M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 19 years
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$1.5M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 643 years
- WildfireRelatively Low$285K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2,242 years
- Heat waveRelatively Moderate$910K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
- Ice stormRelatively Low$30.21K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 67 years
- AvalancheVery Low$47/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
- Strong windRelatively Low$133K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 17 years
- TornadoVery Low$179K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 years
- HailVery Low$32.63K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 12 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, hurricane, 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
- 135 of 46,345 (0.3%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 1,466
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 91 (6%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 48
- Claims paid since 1978
- $537K
Flood claims paid per year
Storm history
Since 1996: 423 events, 4 deaths, $11.45M in damage
- Drought226
- Flash Flood54 · 1 death
- Thunderstorm Wind39
- Heavy Snow31
- Hail25
- High Wind18
- Tornado7
- Lightning5 · 1 death
- Wildfire5
- Heavy Rain4 · 1 death
Events per year
11 tornadoes on record (EF0 4, F0 4, F2 2).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Heavy Rain08/01/1999
Shiprock, San Juan County
1 death, 4 injured
What happened
Heavy rain which reduced visibility to near zero was blamed for a head-on motor vehicle collision that left one man dead and 4 others injured.
- Lightning08/02/2003
Sheep Spgs, San Juan County
1 death, 1 injured
What happened
A 16 year female attending a church leadership outing in the Chuska Mountains died one day after being struck by lightning. A 15 year old male also sustained minor injuries.
- Flash Flood08/05/2016
Turley, San Juan County
1 death, $50K damage
What happened
Oil truck washed into Large Canyon at 5 mile bridge near CR7007. Body found outside of vehicle downstream.
- Heat11/11/1998
Farmington, San Juan County
1 death
What happened
A 37 year old man was found dead in an open field near Farmington. Overnight low temperature was near 18 degrees.
- Thunderstorm Wind57 kt wind08/22/2024
(Fmn)farmington Airport, San Juan County
$3M damage
What happened
The Farmington Four Corners Regional Airport observed thunderstorm wind gusts peaking at 66 mph. These thunderstorm wind gusts produced thick blowing dust, power outages to 8,000 customers, and a down 69kV power line resulting in power outages around Aztec and surrounding areas. Power line damage cost is an estimate.
- Flash Flood08/02/2010
Farmington, San Juan County
$2M damage
What happened
Significant flooding plagued the Farmington area during the evening hours of August 1st. More than 2.5 inches of rain fell in 3 hours, but most of the rain fell in about a 30 minute time frame. Some of the hardest hit areas are described in the following paragraphs. ||The Webb Chevrolet-Toyota dealership and neighboring businesses along East Main Street between Gila St. and Hannon Dr. was described as a swamp. Weeds and shrubs were wrapped around the tires of each truck as water, mud and debris flooded into the lot. The force of the water moved one truck about six feet, and moved a nearby dumpster approximately 100 yards. Also in this area, a man whose car got stuck at the intersection of Cliffside Dr. and East Main got trapped in shallow, quick moving water. The man was rescued by firefighters and was unharmed.||Near the intersection of Largo St. and Railroad St., water was estimated to be 6 to 12 inches deep at the height of the event. Water damage was evident to at least two residences. ||An arroyo that crosses Hubbard St. near Peace Valley Road was flowing over the roadway. A high school senior attempted to drive through the waters, when her car was washed away. Her...
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Flash Flood07/21/2026
Aztec, San Juan County
$75K damage
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/14/2026
Aztec Muni Arpt, San Juan County
- Thunderstorm Wind56 kt wind06/26/2026
Aztec, San Juan County
- Hail1" hail06/26/2026
Bloomfield, San Juan County
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind06/26/2026
Bloomfield, San Juan County
- Drought06/01/2026
Northwest Plateau
- Drought06/01/2026
Northwest Highlands
- Drought06/01/2026
Chuska Mountains
Drinking water
17 community water systems serve about 104,077 people. Violations since 2021.
9 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.
- Farmington Water SystemServes 47,655 · Surface water · Local government1 health violation+1 monitoring or reporting
- Aztec Domestic Water SystemServes 9,673 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Bloomfield Water Supply SystemServes 9,536 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Lee Hammond WaterServes 8,817 · Surface water · Private1 health violation+7 monitoring or reporting
- Lower Valley Water Users AssociationServes 8,683 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Morningstar Water SystemServes 5,694 · Purchased surface water · PrivateNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Northstar MdwcaServes 3,784 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
- Flora Vista Mutual DomesticServes 3,726 · Purchased surface water · Local government1 health violation+4 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 Farmington Ag Sci Cnt, 12 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 90°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 20°F in Jan. About 7.9 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 8.6 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41°F | 20°F | 0.54 in | 2.2 in |
| Feb | 48°F | 25°F | 0.52 in | 2.0 in |
| Mar | 58°F | 31°F | 0.59 in | 0.9 in |
| Apr | 65°F | 37°F | 0.62 in | 0.3 in |
| May | 75°F | 45°F | 0.60 in | - |
| Jun | 86°F | 55°F | 0.26 in | - |
| Jul | 90°F | 61°F | 0.77 in | - |
| Aug | 87°F | 60°F | 0.98 in | - |
| Sep | 80°F | 52°F | 1.09 in | - |
| Oct | 68°F | 40°F | 0.84 in | 0.5 in |
| Nov | 53°F | 29°F | 0.59 in | 0.7 in |
| Dec | 42°F | 21°F | 0.55 in | 2.0 in |
| Year | 53°F average | 7.95 in | 8.6 in | |
Pollution sites
1 Superfund site and 9 toxic release facilities in San Juan County
Superfund sites
- Lee Acres Landfill (Usdoi)FinalFarmington
Toxic release facilities
- Four Corners Steam Electric Station1.4 million lbs released, Fruitland
- Chaco Gas Plant275,080 lbs released, Bloomfield
- San Juan Generating Station37,837 lbs released, Waterflow
- Westmoreland San Juan Mining LLC - San Juan Mine37,837 lbs released, Waterflow
- Western Refining - Bloomfield30,093 lbs released, Bloomfield
- San Juan Gas Plant3,236 lbs released, Bloomfield
- Coastal Chemical Co., LLC1,480 lbs released, Farmington
- Senergy Petroleum LLC - Bloomfield Bulk Plant705 lbs released, Bloomfield
- Pilot Thomas Logistics - Bloomfield0 lbs released, Bloomfield
Total: 1.8 million lbs in 2024, 195,874 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk17 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is San Juan County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates San Juan County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $44.07M a year. The highest-rated hazards are drought (relatively high), lightning (relatively high), landslide (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in San Juan County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 423 storm events affecting San Juan County, most often drought (226), flash flood (54), thunderstorm wind (39).
- How many tornadoes have hit San Juan County?
- 11 tornadoes have been recorded in San Juan County since 1950.
- How many homes in San Juan County have flood insurance?
- 135 residential flood insurance policies are in force in San Juan County, covering about 0.3% of homes. The program has paid $537K on 48 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in San Juan County?
- At Farmington Ag Sci Cnt, average highs reach 90°F in Jul and lows fall to 20°F in Jan, with 7.9 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.