Natural disaster risk in Quay County, New Mexico
New Mexico · population 8,718 · FIPS 35037
Overall: very low risk
Quay County has a composite risk score of 26.0 out of 100 — higher than 26% of US counties. It ranks 27 of 33 in New Mexico (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, winter weather, strong wind.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 31 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 81.01% of Quay County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 31 weeks in a row. In all, 96.6% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Quay County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Very low 26 |
| Expected annual loss About $5.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 16.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 89.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 31.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Quay County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 56 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 85 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 38 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 37 |
| Hail | Very low 31 |
| Heat wave | Very low 30 |
| Cold wave | Very low 22 |
| Earthquake | Very low 17 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 16 |
| Landslide | Very low 13 |
| Tornado | Very low 13 |
| Ice storm | Very low 12 |
| Avalanche | Very low 3 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Quay County
Federal declarations that designated Quay County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Quay County.
All FEMA declarations in New Mexico, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
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). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Quay County, New Mexico?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Quay County as very low, with a score of 26.0 out of 100 (higher than 26% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Quay County?
The hazards rated highest for Quay County are drought (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Quay County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Quay County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Quay County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Quay County.
Is Quay County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 81.01% of Quay County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 31 weeks in a row. In all, 96.6% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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