Archuleta County, Colorado severe weather history spans 74 recorded events between 1993 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 20.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,983 nationally and #43 in Colorado.
74
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$654K
Property damage
The record
What the Archuleta County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Archuleta County, Colorado severe weather history averages 2.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 23 events logged in that decade alone.
The deadliest hazard in the Archuleta County, Colorado record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $315K in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Archuleta County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 15 | 1 | $108K | 75 | 1993–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $20K | 1.75 | 1997–2018 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $173K | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $315K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Hail | 6 | 0 | $12K | 1.75 | 1999–2016 |
| Debris Flow | 6 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 2018–2025 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $13K | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| Wildfire | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2008 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $1K | F0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Archuleta County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-04-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Archuleta County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | PAGOSA SPGS | 1 | 1 | $5K |
| Jul 31, 2021 | Lightning | CHIMNEY ROCK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2001 | Lightning | PAGOSA SPGS | 0 | 1 | $250 |
| Jul 7, 2000 | Lightning | CHROMO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 7, 1998 | Lightning | PAGOSA SPGS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 5, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | PAGOSA SPGS | 0 | 1 | $300 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding within various locations in and near Pagosa Springs. Flowing water about 18 inches deep ran across Highway 160 about a half mile east of the junction with Highway 84. A stream which comes down to Rumbaugh Road in northeast Pagosa Springs had a high volume of water which ran across the road and continued onto Highway 160; with water 6 to 8 inches deep in an area generally bounded on the east and west ends by 1st Street and 2nd Street and bounded on the north and south ends by Lewis Street and Highway 160. Another area of flash flooding occurred on the west end of town in the Bastille Drive area where up to a foot of water depth was reported. Water damage occurred to a number of residences and businesses, including an auto supply store which still had about 12 inches of standing water inside the store the next morning. The river gauge in the San Juan River within Pagosa Springs measured a stage rise of just over 3 feet in less than 1.5 hours. The river rose up to the top of the banks in some places but did not overflow.
Hundreds of trees were blown down by thunderstorm outflow winds in the San Juan National Forest, including a large area near County Road 302 in eastern Archuleta County. Live trees up to 3 feet in diameter were snapped off like toothpicks.
Public reported flash flooding over Archuleta County Road 500/169 Trujillo Road between Arboles and Caracas. There were additional washouts reported near Arboles point, along Trujillo road about 2 miles southeast from the initial LSR location.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,900
Population (ACS)
$478K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2025 | Fire | OAK FIRE | FM |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jan 29, 1977 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Archuleta County, Colorado?
74 events are on record between 1993 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $654K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Archuleta County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 15 recorded events — 20.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Archuleta County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Archuleta County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Archuleta County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Archuleta County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Archuleta County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Archuleta County, Colorado severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Arapahoe County 913
- Baca County 621
- Alamosa County 51
- Bent County 290
- Adams County 862
- Boulder County 513
Cite this page
“Archuleta County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/archuleta-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.