50
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$1.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Bent County, Colorado: 50 recorded events between 1956 and 2022. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #372 nationally and #17 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Bent County, Colorado: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Bent County is the 2000s, when 12 of the county's 50 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Bent County archive, tornado makes up 17.2% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #372 for this hazard and #17 within Colorado, putting it in the 86.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Bent County with 18 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-04-27 | EF2 | 6.2 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-16 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-22 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 220 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-29 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-12 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-20 | EF1 | 1.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-10-11 | EF1 | 8.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-10-11 | EF1 | 15.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-25 | EF1 | 0.8 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-22 | EF1 | 2.3 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12, 1997 | LAS ANIMAS | F1 | 0 | 6 | $200K |
| Jun 20, 2004 | LAS ANIMAS | F1 | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Jun 16, 2004 | LAS ANIMAS | F2 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 2022 | LAS ANIMAS | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2022 | HASTY | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2022 | FT LYON | EF0 | $5K |
| Jun 3, 2022 | LAS ANIMAS | EFU | $0 |
| May 2, 2021 | MC CLAVE | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2020 | LAS ANIMAS | EFU | $0 |
| May 26, 2019 | MC CLAVE | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2016 | MC CLAVE | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2014 | HASTY | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2012 | MC CLAVE | EF2 | $25K |
Other hazards here
More from Bent County
- Hail 170
- Thunderstorm Wind 48
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado caused severe damage to at least seven buildings at Mountain Prairie Hog Farms. Seven farrowing barns (380 feet x 60 feet) were destroyed. Only one pig was killed. A fire started in one of the structures when a gas line broke. Debris was scattered a few miles east southeast of the Farms.
A tornado struck a ranch destroying the house, and damaging other buildings and two mobile homes. The family of five sought shelter in an interior closet, and the lone injury was the mother, who suffered a minor gash on her forehead.
Two locations experienced heavy damage. On State Highway 196 a metal building was destroyed and a home damaged…and four metal power poles were bent over. On County Road PP a metal barn was damaged and horse corrals were destroyed. One horse was killed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Bent County, Colorado?
50 tornado events are recorded in Bent County between 1956 and 2022, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Bent County?
The strongest tornado on record in Bent County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Bent County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Bent County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/bent-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.