210
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$676K
Property damage
Tornado in Washington County, Colorado: 210 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #3 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Washington County, Colorado: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Washington County is the 2020s, when 59 of the county's 210 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 Washington County archive, tornado makes up 19.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #3 for this hazard and #2 within Colorado, putting it in the 99.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Washington County with 79 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-08 | EF3 | 15.7 mi | 212 yd | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-30 | EF3 | 0.5 mi | 1,320 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-21 | EF3 | 12.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-10 | EF3 | 8.0 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-23 | EF2 | 8.4 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-21 | EF2 | 1.9 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-21 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-21 | EF2 | 4.5 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2018-07-29 | EF2 | 7.1 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-14 | EF2 | 7.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 1967 | F1 | 0 | 4 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2025 | MESSEX | EF2 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2024 | BURDETT | EFU | $0 |
| May 19, 2024 | LINDON | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 25, 2024 | ELBA | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2023 | OTIS | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2023 | ANTON | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2023 | ANTON | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2023 | ELBA | EF2 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2023 | ELBA | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2023 | WOODROW | EFU | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Washington County
- Hail 651
- Thunderstorm Wind 208
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Well documented tornado that moved south parallel to CO-63, remaining generally in open areas 2-3 miles west of CO-63. We obtained the width (400 yds) of the tornado based on power poles snapped along County Road 50. One single family residence was struck with minor damage to the house, and significant damage to all outbuildings and trees on the property, consistent with EF-1 damage. Debris from the property was carried approximately one mile to the south-southwest. Further south of the damaged property, power poles were snapped and thrown a considerable distance (25 yds), consistent with EF-2 intensity. The power poles were on the west side of AA, just north of County Road 48. Video evidence and the results of the storm survey, suggest that the tornado dissipated just before 6 PM MDT.
A tornado touched down in an open field just southeast of Otis and continued to move east-southeast throughout eastern Washington County. As it approached County Road ZZ it lifted a garage off its foundation anchoring, and shifted it. The garage door also imploded and about 10% of roof structure was lost. Other damage included snapped trees and broken wood power poles, with lesser damage to outbuildings. The tornado continued to track east-southeast into Yuma County.
A small but intense tornado touched down and caused significant damage to a pole shed. The tornado lifted the entire shed and destroyed it. Debris from this shed traveled around 1 mile to the southeast from where the tornado first struck it. Only minor structural damage occurred elsewhere on the farm.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Washington County, Colorado?
210 tornado events are recorded in Washington County between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Washington County?
The strongest tornado on record in Washington County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Washington 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 Washington County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/washington-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.