292
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
92
Direct injuries
$151.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Weld County, Colorado: 292 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #1 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Weld County, Colorado: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Weld County is the 1990s, when 73 of the county's 292 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 Weld County archive, tornado makes up 15.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1 for this hazard and #1 within Colorado, putting it in the 100.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Weld County with 94 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-22 | EF3 | 38.7 mi | 1,760 yd | Touched down here |
| 1952-05-15 | EF3 | 7.4 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-07 | EF2 | 7.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-12 | EF2 | 15.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-07 | EF2 | 8.8 mi | 1,320 yd | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-31 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-09 | EF2 | 23.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1987-07-07 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-18 | EF2 | 25.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-18 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2008 | PLATTEVILLE ARPT | EF3 | 1 | 78 | $147.0M |
| May 15, 1952 | F3 | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Jul 26, 1985 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jun 3, 1981 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| May 22, 2008 | DACONO | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 1976 | 0 | 0 | 1 | $3K | |
| May 23, 1968 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| May 30, 1957 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2025 | HUDSON | EFU | $0 |
| May 27, 2025 | NEW RAYMER ARPT | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2024 | PLATTEVILLE | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2023 | ROCKPORT | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2023 | PLATTEVILLE ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 2023 | PROSPECT VALLEY | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 2023 | PROSPECT VALLEY | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 2023 | PROSPECT VALLEY | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2022 | GROVER | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2021 | FIRESTONE | EF2 | $531K |
Other hazards here
More from Weld County
- Hail 1,168
- Thunderstorm Wind 339
- Flash Flood 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A powerful tornado swept north-northwestward across Weld County and into Larimer County, carving a path of destruction, nearly 39 miles in length. The tornado, up to one-mile wide at times, initially touched down northeast of Platteville and finally lifted 6 miles west-northwest of Wellington. A tornado assessment in the aftermath of the tornado revealed extensive areas of damage. On the enhanced Fujita Scale there were pockets of EF3 damage, mainly near the Missile Silo Park Campground, and to businesses and home in eastern Windsor. ||There was one fatality, and 78 injuries. One man was killed when he tried to escape the trailer park in his motor home. Preliminary estimates from FEMA indicated 850 homes were damaged, and nearly 300 homes were significantly damaged or destroyed. Privately insured damages totaled $147 million, and the Poudre Valley Rural Electric Associated reported $1 million of damage to electric transmission lines.
The tornado touched down in southern Weld County. There were no injuries, but at least two calves were killed, and several chickens. Several homes lost windows and roofing material. One home lost an entire wall and most of its roof, and an unattached garage was completely destroyed with the car inside flipped on its roof. Nearby outbuildings sustained damage, and one caught fire due to downed power lines. Downed power lines also led to a closure of WCR 21 between Highway 66 and WCR 32.5.
Pencil-thin tornado touched down in southern Weld County then slowly moved south across the county line into Morgan County. Several reports of the tornado were received from the fire department and storm chasers/spotter, and it was hard to discern ground contact through the entire path though one funnel was observed throughout the event. The tornado struck an old garage on a farm property just east of County Road 15 in extreme northern Morgan County. The tornado lifted the roof off the garage, which caused the walls to collapse. No other structures on the property were damaged. The owner was on-site during the tornado and mentioned how narrow the tornado was, and that it lifted not long after hitting the old garage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Weld County, Colorado?
292 tornado events are recorded in Weld County between 1950 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Weld County?
The strongest tornado on record in Weld County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Weld 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 Weld County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/weld-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.