Bernardo, New Mexico
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1916 and the latest in 1979. It stands in the Socorro census division. It lies in ZIP code area 87006. The Survey maps it on the Abeytas quadrangle. It stands 4,741 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1916 USGS La Joya quadrangle1:125000
- 1952 USGS Abeytas quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Socorro quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Socorro quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Socorro quadrangle1:250000
- 1979 USGS Socorro quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
62 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 62 fires within 5 miles of Bernardo between 1993 and 2020, burning about 1,826 acres in total. 6 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 32 |
| Debris and open burning | 15 |
| Natural | 6 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 acres | Socorro District | LABOR DAY |
| 5 July 1998 | Natural | under an acre | Cibola National Forest | BURRO |
| 3 July 1995 | Smoking | under an acre | Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge | SABINAL |
| 18 July 2000 | Natural | under an acre | New Mexico State Forestry Division | BERNARDO |
| 18 July 2000 | Natural | under an acre | New Mexico State Forestry Division | COTTON |
| 17 July 2005 | Natural | under an acre | New Mexico State Forestry Division | COTTONWOOD |
| 12 July 2000 | Natural | 14 acres | New Mexico State Forestry Division | GERONIMO |
| 7 June 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge | TRACK |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Bernardo: 3 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials Pit 57-118-S | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Materials Pit 57-120-S | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Materials Pit 57-43-F | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Vignali Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Sedimentary |
Storms near this place
8 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bernardo in 8 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 4 flash flood, 2 hail, 1 tornado, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Bernardo | $250,000 | Strong thunderstorms that moved southwest through Socorro County brought heavy rain with reports of one to two inches. This resulted in widespread flooding across central Socorro County. The La Joya area was especially impacted with additional damage to the La Joya Acequia. A large section of the concrete ditch system north of La Joya was severely damaged, and several ditches and drains were filled with silt. All of the arroyos in the La Joya area flooded which washed away several of the arroyo banks and caused additional damage. The Rio Puerco River created to 17.75 feet Friday evening which was its highest level since 2013. Homes in the Contreras area were surrounded by flood water. Damages are estimated. |
| September 2019 | Flash Flood | Bernardo | $100,000 | Emergency management reported damaged roads and closures in the area south of Abeytas. Damage amounts are a rough estimate for dirt roads washed out. |
| October 2025 | Hail | Bernardo | - | A trained spotter in Bernardo observed quarter size hail from a severe thunderstorm. |
| September 2017 | Flash Flood | Bernardo | - | State road 304 closed at U.S. Highway 60 due to flooding. |
| September 2017 | Flash Flood | Bernardo | - | All lanes of Interstate 25 closed due to mud, rocks, and debris rushing over the highway from nearby mesas and retention ponds. |
| September 2013 | Flood | Bernardo | - | Widespread heavy rainfall led to a near record crest on the Rio Puerco at Bernardo. The peak flow of 7,120 cfs at 1130pm on the 15th was the second highest crest ever observed dating back to 1941. The river was above action stage for several days and was above flood stage between 7pm on the 15th and 10am on the 16th. Flooding occurred areas along the river. The Rio Grande at Acacia reported a 9,000 cfs at 130pm on the 16th, which was the highest crest ever observed. |
| April 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Bernardo | - | A strong storm produced a brief landspout over open desert. |
| May 1999 | Hail | Bernardo | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 1.6 miles | 11 | |
| Contreras | 2.7 miles | 11 | |
| Abeytas | 3.6 miles | 11 | |
| La Joya | 5.0 miles | 10 | |
| Las Nutrias | 5.2 miles | 11 | |
| Sabinal | 5.4 miles | 11 | |
| San Geronimo | 6.2 miles | 10 | |
| Veguita | 7.6 miles | 10 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Bernardo | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q4893879 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 923560. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.





