Douglas County, Colorado severe weather history spans 623 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 68.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #527 nationally and #17 in Colorado.
623
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$20.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Douglas County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Douglas County, Colorado severe weather history averages 8.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 195 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 83 events fall before 1990 and 540 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Douglas County, Colorado record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $13.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Douglas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 428 | 0 | $3.0M | 3 | 1961–2025 |
| Tornado | 64 | 0 | $990K | F2 | 1953–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 55 | 1 | $16K | 100 | 1981–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 41 | 0 | $13.5M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 26 | 1 | $2.7M | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $55K | 0 | 2013–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Douglas County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
66 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 66 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-07-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-07-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Douglas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | PARKER | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| May 7, 2017 | Lightning | SEDALIA | 1 | 1 | $5K |
| Jun 16, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $3K | |
| Jun 11, 1999 | Hail | FRANKTOWN | 0 | 3 | $3.0M |
| Aug 4, 2004 | Lightning | CASTLE ROCK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 20, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 3, 2006 | Lightning | CASTLE ROCK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2004 | Lightning | CASTLE ROCK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Up to 3 inches of heavy rain in the Hayman burn area caused destructive flash flooding along West Creek, between Deckers and Westcreek. Horse Creek, which drains into West Creek, swelled from a normally small creek, into a raging torrent, 25 to 30 feet deep and 300 feet wide. The wall of water damaged or destroyed approximately 30 sections of a 5-mile stretch of State Highway 67, which parallels West Creek. Several homes were extensively damaged or destroyed. In all 86 homes had no access to the highway, resulting in a 125-mile detour for residents of the West Creek subdivision. The sheriff's office used reverse 911 to warn residents to evacuate the area surrounding the subdivision. Campsites near Deckers were also evacuated. No injuries were reported, but several people had to be rescued, due to extensive damage to the access roads and bridges in the area. Reconstruction was estimated to be $13.3 million.
Large hail, up to golfball size and accumulating several inches deep, caused a large section of a corrugated metal roof of a greenhouse complex to collapse. About a third of the roof covering the 30,000 square foot building collapsed. Thirty five workers were trapped in the debris, 3 people were treated for minor injuries. Hail piled up 1-2 feet deep blocked the roadways, slowing down emergency vehicles. Damage to the building was estimated to be around $3.0 million.
The first tornado, associated with a multi-vortex storm, touched down briefly near E-470 and South Jordan Road. Some fences were damaged and a few trees were blow down. A few of the homes also sustained minor roof damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
377,150
Population (ACS)
$714K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jan 7, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Oct 29, 2003 | Fire | CO – CHEROKEE RANCH WILDFIRE – 10/29/2003 | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Parker 140
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Douglas County, Colorado?
623 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $20.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Douglas County?
Hail, with 428 recorded events — 68.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Douglas County?
66 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 66 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Douglas County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Douglas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Douglas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Douglas County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 89 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Douglas 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
- Dolores County 33
- Eagle County 103
- Denver County 535
- Elbert County 805
- Delta County 70
- El Paso County 2,710
Cite this page
“Douglas County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/douglas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.