192
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
43
Direct injuries
$26.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Adams County, Colorado: 192 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #5 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Adams County, Colorado: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Adams County is the 1990s, when 49 of the county's 192 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 Adams County archive, tornado makes up 22.3% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #5 for this hazard and #3 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 Adams County with 76 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-06-12 | EF3 | 3.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-18 | EF3 | 4.1 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF2 | 4.3 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-18 | EF2 | 4.4 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-13 | EF2 | 12.0 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-06-05 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-06-20 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-08 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-03 | EF2 | 2.3 mi | 133 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-30 | EF2 | 5.4 mi | 67 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1981 | F2 | 0 | 42 | $25.0M | |
| Aug 14, 1977 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2025 | BARR LAKE | EFU | $0 |
| May 18, 2025 | BENNETT | EF2 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | LEADER | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | SHAMROCK | EFU | $0 |
| May 29, 2024 | LEADER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 29, 2024 | LEADER | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | BENNETT | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2023 | DENVER FRONT RANGE A | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 22, 2023 | AURORA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2022 | COMMERCE CITY | EFU | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Adams County
- Hail 489
- Thunderstorm Wind 135
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Spotters reported a tornado 10 miles east northeast of Byers (31 miles east of Denver). The tornado traveled in open country to 6 miles east of Byers before dissipating. The tornado downed several power poles northeast of Byers. Spotters estimated the tornado to be 0.5 mile wide at its biggest point, and could have caused up to F4 type damage.
The largest of the 4 tornadoes on May 18th touched down near 48th and Highway 79 and moved north-northeast over the next 10-minutes. The largest swath of damage occurred just east of Provost Rd where a large barn/workshop was completely destroyed. The tornado then jogged eastward and then looped by to the north where it lifted.
A small tornado touched down and caused extensive damage to a recreational vehicle. A barn was also severely damaged. The roof of the barn was thrown 100 feet while the remaining structure was torn from its foundation. Four llamas in the barn were injured when it collapsed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Adams County, Colorado?
192 tornado events are recorded in Adams County between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Adams County?
The strongest tornado on record in Adams County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Adams 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 Adams County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/adams-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.