Natural disaster risk in Valencia County, New Mexico
New Mexico · population 75,987 · FIPS 35061
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Valencia County has a composite risk score of 82.3 out of 100 — higher than 82% of US counties. It ranks 10 of 33 in New Mexico (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, earthquake, inland (riverine) flooding.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, at least 54 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 54.86% of Valencia County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Valencia 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 moderate 82.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $37.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 78.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 64.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 3.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Valencia County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively high 89 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 90 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 87 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 70 |
| Hail | Relatively low 64 |
| Drought | Relatively low 56 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 27 |
| Tornado | Very low 19 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 17 |
| Avalanche | Very low 16 |
| Cold wave | Very low 16 |
| Ice storm | Very low 12 |
| Landslide | Very low 9 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Valencia County
Federal declarations that designated Valencia County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Valencia County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3628-NM (Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides), declared 10 Jul 2025.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3628-NM | Emergency | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides | 10 Jul 2025 | No |
| FM-5594-NM | Fire management | Cotton 2 Fire | 22 Jun 2025 | No |
| FM-5593-NM | Fire management | Desert Willow Fire Complex | 21 Jun 2025 | No |
| FM-5579-NM | Fire management | Rio Grande Fire | 18 Apr 2025 | No |
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 Valencia County, New Mexico?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Valencia County as relatively moderate, with a score of 82.3 out of 100 (higher than 82% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Valencia County?
The hazards rated highest for Valencia County are lightning (relatively high), earthquake (relatively moderate), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Valencia County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Valencia County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Valencia County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Valencia County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3628-NM (Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides), declared 10 Jul 2025.
Is Valencia County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 54.86% of Valencia County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 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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