Costilla County, Colorado severe weather history spans 24 recorded events between 1955 and 2022. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 41.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,142 nationally and #56 in Colorado.
24
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$640K
Property damage
The record
What the Costilla County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Costilla County, Colorado severe weather history averages 0.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 6 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 4 events fall before 1990 and 20 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $455K in reported property damage. In total, 4 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Costilla County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $180K | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $5K | F3 | 1955–2021 |
| Hail | 6 | 0 | $455K | 1.75 | 1959–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Costilla County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-07-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-06-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-06-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Costillo County Emergency Manager reported flash flood and rock slide in Forbes Park, CO off the spring burn scar. Several dozen 36 inch boulders moved down the hill and a newly built retention pond was nearly blown out by the force of the water. 15-20 tons of sediment now fill the new pond.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,607
Population (ACS)
$185K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 28, 2018 | Fire | SPRING CREEK FIRE | FM |
| Jun 19, 2006 | Fire | MALO VEGA FIRE | FM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Apr 9, 2003 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Costilla County, Colorado?
24 events are on record between 1955 and 2022, causing 0 direct deaths and $640K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Costilla County?
Flash Flood, with 10 recorded events — 41.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Costilla County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Costilla County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Costilla County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Costilla County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Costilla County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Costilla 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
- Conejos County 14
- Crowley County 157
- Clear Creek County 35
- Custer County 164
- Delta County 70
- Cheyenne County 851
Cite this page
“Costilla County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/costilla-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.