Chaffee County, Colorado severe weather history spans 48 recorded events between 1978 and 2023. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 41.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,060 nationally and #50 in Colorado.
48
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$3.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Chaffee County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chaffee County, Colorado severe weather history averages 1.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 16 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 45 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chaffee County, Colorado record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $3.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chaffee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 2002–2022 |
| Hail | 10 | 0 | $500 | 1.75 | 1993–2016 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7 | 0 | $0 | 70 | 1978–2023 |
| Lightning | 7 | 2 | $100K | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2022 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | F0 | 1991–1991 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Chaffee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-05-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chaffee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 17, 2015 | Lightning | ALPINE | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2010 | Lightning | BROWN CANON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2002 | Flash Flood | BUENA VISTA | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Jul 19, 2004 | Lightning | MONARCH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
In total, five mudslides occurred on Cottonwood Pass Road (CR 306) about one mile west of the hot springs pool. The mud on the road ranged from two to 14 feet deep. Cottonwood Hot Springs and several residences needed to be evacuated as a precaution.
A young woman was struck by lightning in Monarch Park campground. She was taken to the hospital in nearby Salida, and then by helicopter to University Hospital in Denver. She apparently has recovered quite well from injuries suffered.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,178
Population (ACS)
$666K
Median home value
5
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Apr 9, 2003 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chaffee County, Colorado?
48 events are on record between 1978 and 2023, causing 2 direct deaths and $3.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chaffee County?
Flash Flood, with 20 recorded events — 41.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chaffee 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 Chaffee County?
5 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chaffee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chaffee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chaffee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chaffee 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
- Broomfield County 48
- Boulder County 513
- Cheyenne County 851
- Clear Creek County 35
- Bent County 290
- Conejos County 14
Cite this page
“Chaffee County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/chaffee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.