New Mexico
What kinds of natural disasters happen in New Mexico?
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico is well known for its many days of sunshine, but in a desert climate, severe weather can hit rapidly. If you live in or visit New Mexico here are the types of severe weather to be prepared for:
KRQE’s Weather Forecasts
Thunderstorms and Flash Floods
One of the most prevalent types of hazardous weather in New Mexico is the thunderstorm. All New Mexico counties experience intense thunderstorms that produce strong winds, large hail, heavy rain, and even deadly lightning strikes. Large storms occur most frequently in eastern areas of the state from April through June and throughout the rest of the state from July through August.
Thunderstorms can also lead to flash flooding, which can quickly become dangerous and can harm people, structures, and the surrounding environment. Flash flooding is the most devastating after wildfires and is often seen in locations with burn scars, such as the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire burn scar area and the South Fork/Salt fire burn scar area.
PICTURES: Rain over burn scars causes flooding in New Mexico communities
Tornadoes
Although mostly weak and short-lived, tornadoes have occurred in most New Mexico counties, typically taking place about 10 times per year. When it comes to tornadoes, the most at-risk part of the state is in the east from April through July, during thunderstorm season. However, more common than tornadoes in New Mexico are landspouts, which are tornado variations similar to dust devils that can form without the presence of strong thunderstorms.
Eastern New Mexico cleans up after 2 tornados roll through area
Earthquakes
Earthquakes can also occur in New Mexico from both human and natural causes. Human activity like mining, fracking, and weapon testing can shake those nearby while faults and volcanic activity can cause more significant earthquakes.
New Mexico doesn’t typically see very large earthquakes, but smaller ones are fairly common along the Rio Grande Valley, due to the geology of the Rio Grande Rift, and near Socorro, due to the activity of magma. Because most earthquakes take place on plate boundaries, New Mexico is spared from the more severe earthquakes that affect states on the coasts.
Two earthquakes reported in Bernalillo County
Wildfires
Wildfires are some of the most devastating natural disasters that occur in New Mexico. Drought has its own disaster implications, but it also contributes to the start and spread of wildfires throughout the state, as do strong winds and dry vegetation. Since the year 2000, over 7 million acres total have been burned by fires in New Mexico. Most of the state’s wildfires are human or lightning-caused and can range from small blazes to burning thousands of acres.
KRQE’s Wildfire Coverage
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NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. — An ‘imposter nurse’ in Las Cruces is facing 34 charges after nearly causing the death of a patient and illegally giving medications to patients under 18 years old.
A Doña Ana County grand jury indicted Margarita Gonzalez. She is accused of assuming the identities of nurses in Texas to get hired at four nursing facilities in Las Cruces:
- Village at Northrise
- Las Cruces Wellness and Rehabilitation
- Peak Behavioral Health
- Matrix Home Care
The New Mexico Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau investigated and discovered instances where Gonzalez illegally gave injections and dispensed prescriptions, including narcotics to eight inpatient residents under 18 years old.
An investigation also found Gonzalez was also about to allegedly give “an incorrect insulin dose” to a patient that they claim could’ve killed the patient if another nurse hadn’t caught the error.
Several facilities fired Gonzalez over patient safety concerns and an observed lack of knowledge.
“Impersonating a healthcare provider is a reckless and selfish crime that subjects those most vulnerable to risk of serious injury or death,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said. “I will not tolerate those who risk the safety of patients or cause danger and unnecessary confusion within the healthcare system. These charges should keep anyone attempting to pose as a healthcare provider on notice: we will find you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law to protect New Mexicans.”
Gonzalez’s charges include identity theft, nursing without a license, abuse of a resident, distribution of controlled substances to a minor and fraud totaling over $25,000.
If convicted on all counts, Gonzalez could face up to 100 years in prison.
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