New Mexico heat wave risk
Bernalillo County has the highest heat wave risk in New Mexico, scoring 95.4 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernalillo County | 95.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 2 | Doña Ana County | 94.6 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 3 | Chaves County | 90 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 4 | Luna County | 81.3 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 5 | Sandoval County | 79.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 6 | San Juan County | 79.9 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 7 | Eddy County | 78.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 8 | Lea County | 77.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 9 | Valencia County | 70.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 10 | Otero County | 68.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 11 | Roosevelt County | 65.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 12 | Curry County | 63.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 13 | Grant County | 58.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 14 | Hidalgo County | 56.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 15 | Santa Fe County | 53 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 16 | McKinley County | 39.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Sierra County | 37 | Very Low | 1 |
| 18 | Quay County | 30.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 19 | Rio Arriba County | 30.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 20 | Socorro County | 27.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 21 | Cibola County | 22.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 22 | Colfax County | 18.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 23 | De Baca County | 13.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 24 | Guadalupe County | 13.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 25 | Torrance County | 13.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 26 | Union County | 10.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 27 | San Miguel County | 8.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 28 | Taos County | 8.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 29 | Catron County | 8.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 30 | Lincoln County | 7.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 31 | Los Alamos County | 6.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 32 | Harding County | 5.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 33 | Mora County | 2.5 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Heat Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in New Mexico:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest heat wave risk county in New Mexico?
Bernalillo County, NM has the highest heat wave risk in New Mexico, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 95.4 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").
What causes heat wave risk in New Mexico?
Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.