Rio Grande County, Colorado severe weather history spans 35 recorded events between 1955 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 60.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,097 nationally and #53 in Colorado.
35
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$22.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Rio Grande County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rio Grande County, Colorado severe weather history averages 0.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 10 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 26 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is wildfire, with $22.0M 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 Rio Grande County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $5K | 1.75 | 1955–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1973–1990 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $8K | F0 | 1995–2012 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $22.0M | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Rio Grande County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-09-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-29 | 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
A strong storm produced a non-mesocyclone (landspout) tornado just south of Del Norte. There was minor damage to several properties…including one property which sustained damage to a camper and minor structural damage to the house.
Heavy thunderstorm rains caused Beaver Creek road…Mill Creek road and some secondary roads to be closed due to water. Mud and debris flowed across the roads inundated drainage ditches in and near the Million Burn scar.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,321
Population (ACS)
$240K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 21, 2013 | Fire | WEST FORK FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | MILLION FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rio Grande County, Colorado?
35 events are on record between 1955 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $22.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rio Grande County?
Hail, with 21 recorded events — 60.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rio Grande County?
5 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 Rio Grande County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rio Grande County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rio Grande County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rio Grande County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rio Grande 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
- Rio Blanco County 172
- Routt County 101
- Pueblo County 954
- Saguache County 64
- Prowers County 688
- San Juan County 17
Cite this page
“Rio Grande County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/rio-grande-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.