Natural disaster risk in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
New Mexico · population 40,200 · FIPS 35039
Overall: relatively low risk
Rio Arriba County has a composite risk score of 80.5 out of 100 — higher than 80% of US counties. It ranks 11 of 33 in New Mexico (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, wildfire, landslide.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, at least 54 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 0.02% of Rio Arriba County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Rio Arriba 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. |
Relatively low 80.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $26.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 69.2 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 91.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 9.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Rio Arriba County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively high 94 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 96 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 88 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 79 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 47 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 30 |
| Avalanche | Very low 41 |
| Heat wave | Very low 30 |
| Hail | Very low 27 |
| Strong wind | Very low 12 |
| Tornado | Very low 11 |
| Ice storm | Very low 9 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | No rating |
FEMA disaster declarations for Rio Arriba County
Federal declarations that designated Rio Arriba County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Rio Arriba County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4795-NM (South Fork Fire, Salt Fire, and Flooding), declared 20 Jun 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4795-NM | Major disaster | South Fork Fire, Salt Fire, and Flooding | 20 Jun 2024 | Yes |
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 Rio Arriba County, New Mexico?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Rio Arriba County as relatively low, with a score of 80.5 out of 100 (higher than 80% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Rio Arriba County?
The hazards rated highest for Rio Arriba County are lightning (relatively high), wildfire (relatively moderate), landslide (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Rio Arriba County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Rio Arriba County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Rio Arriba County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Rio Arriba County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4795-NM (South Fork Fire, Salt Fire, and Flooding), declared 20 Jun 2024.
Is Rio Arriba County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 0.02% of Rio Arriba County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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