Storm risk in Sandoval County, New Mexico

FEMA's overall hazard score for Sandoval County is 76.97 (Relatively Low), 725th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 74.40 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 39.57 (Relatively Low) and tornado 23.76 (Very Low). Expected hail loss is $5.30 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 52 hail reports in Sandoval County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Sandoval County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of NM$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $5.30 per $1 million, 2,398th of 3,126 rated counties$5.30Hail2,398th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $2.54 per $1 million, 2,864th of 3,121 rated counties$2.54Strong wind2,864th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $11 per $1 million, 2,781st of 3,144 rated counties$11Tornado2,781st of 3,144 counties
  • Sandoval County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Sandoval County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in NM
OverallRelatively Low 76.97725 of 3,14414 of 33
HailRelatively Moderate 74.40806 of 3,1268 of 33
Strong windRelatively Low 39.571,901 of 3,1269 of 33
TornadoVery Low 23.762,398 of 3,1267 of 33

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$131,905$5.30 $10$22 2,398 of 3,12623 of 33
Strong wind$63,139$2.54 $4.11$20 2,864 of 3,12123 of 33
Tornado$283,054$11 $11$199 2,781 of 3,14414 of 33

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Sandoval County

  • FEMA expects hail in Sandoval County to cost $5.30 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.24 times the U.S. median and 0.52 times the NM county median, ranked 2,398th of 3,126 counties nationally and 23rd of 33 in New Mexico.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Sandoval County to cost $2.54 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.12 times the U.S. median and 0.62 times the NM county median, ranked 2,864th of 3,121 counties nationally and 23rd of 33 in New Mexico.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Sandoval County to cost $11 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.06 times the U.S. median and 1.07 times the NM county median, ranked 2,781st of 3,144 counties nationally and 14th of 33 in New Mexico.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $282,300 home, the average yearly loss in Sandoval County is about $1.50 for hail and $0.72 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $6.31 and $5.75.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Sandoval County meets about 23.3 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1996, the median home in Sandoval County is 30 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 57.6% of its 59,759 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 23 of the 52 hail reports in Sandoval County (44 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Sandoval County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$1.50hail, a year; $6.31 at the U.S. median county rate
$0.72strong wind, a year; $5.75 at the U.S. median county rate
$44hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Sandoval County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $131,905 ÷ $24,899,699,840 = 0.0000053. Wind: $63,139 ÷ $24,899,699,840 = 0.0000025. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Sandoval County in plain numbers

  • Sandoval County scores 76.97 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Low): 725th of 3,144 rated counties and 14th of 33 in New Mexico.
  • Hail scores 74.40 (Relatively Moderate). FEMA expects $131,905 of hail damage to buildings in Sandoval County a year, which is $5.30 per $1 million of buildings, 0.24 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 39.57 (Relatively Low) with $63,139 of expected yearly building loss in Sandoval County: $2.54 per $1 million of buildings, 0.12 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 23.76 (Very Low) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $283,054, counting everything exposed, or $11 per $1 million of buildings in Sandoval County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Sandoval County averages 0.52 hail events and 0.20 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 52 hail reports in Sandoval County between 2014 and June 2026, on 14 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 1.75 inches.
  • In Sandoval County, FEMA counts buildings worth 24.90 billion dollars and 148,310 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Moderate in Sandoval County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively Moderate, for 148,310 residents.
  • 1 city in Sandoval County is covered on this site: Rio Rancho. 18 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Rio Rancho is $5,950 to $13,175.
  • Sandoval County ranks 157 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 177 for wind and 188 for tornado.
  • In Sandoval County, July is the busiest month with 18 of the 52 reports (35 percent), against 0 reports in January.
  • Sandoval County's worst year was 2015, with 2 hail days at 1 inch or more and 9 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 1.17 such days a year, one about every 10.3 months.
  • The median home in Sandoval County was built in 1996; 20.5% of its 59,759 housing units date from before 1980, 57.6% from before 2000 and 15.0% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Sandoval County at $282,300, and 83.6% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 10,100 single-family building permits were issued in Sandoval County from 2014 to 2025, about 169.0 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
  • NOAA lists 6 tornado tracks in Sandoval County since 2014; the strongest was an EFU on August 19, 2025 near Sandia Pueblo, 0.67 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Sandoval County is 79 mph on September 17, 2024 at Frijoles.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Santa Fe County, 55 miles from the centre of Sandoval County; its hail score is 67.56.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 9 roofing contractor establishments in Sandoval County in 2023, one for every 6,640 homes.

The hail record of Sandoval County, year by year

NOAA logged 52 reports in Sandoval County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 14 days. That is 1.2 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Sandoval County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more02468102014: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch142015: 9 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch152016: 6 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch162017: 7 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.1 inch172018: 9 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch182019: 5 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch192020: 6 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch202021: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch212022: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch222023: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch232024: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch242025: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch252026: 2 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.75 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Sandoval County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 1 reports1MarApril: 0 reports0AprMay: 9 reports9MayJune: 13 reports13JunJuly: 18 reports18JulAugust: 5 reports5AugSeptember: 4 reports4SepOctober: 2 reports2OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: July, 18 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20141101.5 in$2,000
20159201.25 in–
20166000.88 in$50,000
20177201.1 in$100,000
20189211.75 in$500,000
20195101 in–
20206211.75 in–
20212201 in–
20221101 in–
20231000.88 in–
20243101 in–
2026 (to June)2000.75 in–

Biggest hail days in Sandoval County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
July 31, 20181.75 in6$500,000Ponderosa
June 23, 20201.75 in4none recordedPena Blanca
July 14, 20141.5 in1$2,000La Jara
June 27, 20151.25 in4none recordedFrijoles
September 30, 20171.1 in4none recordedBernalillo

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Sandoval County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Sandoval County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail Rio Rancho
  • 201 to 1.74 in
  • 21.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 1.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

22 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Sandoval County

Fastest gusts in Sandoval County

DateGustNear
September 17, 202479 mphFrijoles
September 5, 202470 mphEl Llanito
October 12, 201466 mphPlacitas
June 25, 202664 mphEl Llanito

Strongest tornado tracks in Sandoval County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
August 19, 2025EFU0.67 mi0 / 0Sandia Pueblo
May 11, 2024EFU0.25 mi0 / 0Jemez Spgs
July 23, 2021EF00.03 mi0 / 0Bernalillo
May 17, 2021EF01.74 mi0 / 0Domingo

6 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Sandoval County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 1.17 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Sandoval County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 2.0% of homes2%<19401061940s: 0.7% of homes0.7%1940s941950s: 1.8% of homes1.8%1950s831960s: 3.9% of homes3.9%1960s711970s: 12.2% of homes12.2%1970s601980s: 18.1% of homes18.1%1980s481990s: 19.0% of homes19%1990s362000s: 27.5% of homes27.5%2000s242010s: 13.3% of homes13.3%2010s132020+: 1.6% of homes1.6%2020+4

Bars: share of 59,759 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1996
Built before 198020.5%
Built before 200057.6%
Built since 201015.0%
Owner-occupied83.6%
Median home value$282,300
Single-family permits, 2014 to 202510,100
Permits per 1,000 homes169.0

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Sandoval County

Roofing firms in Sandoval County

Roofing contractor establishments, 20239
Change since 2016+6 (+200%)
Homes per roofing firm6,640
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 202342

Source for Sandoval County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Sandoval County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Santa Fe County, NM55 Relatively Moderate $4.500.85$3.141.2478
Pueblo County, CO213 Relatively Moderate $16430.94$8.393.31182
Dona Ana County, NM227 Relatively High $244.61$2.290.9052
El Paso County, CO252 Relatively Moderate $13625.65$8.993.54869
Jefferson County, CO280 Relatively High $50294.69$8.663.42209

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Sandoval County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 18 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Rio Rancho 87124 (100%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Sandoval County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Sandoval County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sandoval County an overall score of 76.97 (Relatively Low), 725th of 3,144. Hail scores 74.40 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 39.57 (Relatively Low) and tornado 23.76 (Very Low).

In Sandoval County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 52 for Sandoval County between 2014 and June 2026, on 14 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 1.75 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Sandoval County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $282,300: FEMA's estimate is about $1.50 a year for hail and $0.72 for wind, before any deductible, against $6.31 and $5.75 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Sandoval County compare with the rest of New Mexico?

Per $1 million of buildings Sandoval County loses $5.30 to hail a year, against $10 in the median county of the state. Among 33 rated counties it is 8th for hail, 9th for strong wind and 7th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Sandoval County?

The median home was built in 1996, 30 years ago, and 57.6% of the 59,759 housing units in Sandoval County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Sandoval County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Sandoval County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Sandoval County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Sandoval County. Planning-level information about Sandoval County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset 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).