Baca County, Colorado severe weather history spans 621 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 64.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #533 nationally and #18 in Colorado.
621
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$5.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Baca County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Baca County, Colorado severe weather history averages 8.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 187 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 567 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Baca County, Colorado record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.0M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Baca County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 399 | 0 | $400K | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 103 | 1 | $2.2M | 95 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 84 | 0 | $3.0M | F4 | 1955–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2022 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Baca County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
88 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 84 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-05-18 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 38.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-10 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 14.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Baca County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | VILAS | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Jun 10, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jun 25, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | WALSH | 0 | 2 | $2.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado moved northeast across a rural area, but did strike the county gravel pit and a few ranches. Approximately 1 1/2 miles of utility poles were brought down by the tornado and rear flank downdraft along U.S. Highway 160. At the gravel pit north of the highway, gravel screening machinery sustained heavy damage. Farther to the northeast a sheet metal building with a steel girder frame was a total loss.
A tornado moved southeast, crossing US Highway 287 south of Campo. Eight power poles were snapped off west of the highway and on County Road C. Two windmills were also hit, and a storage shed was tipped over and moved 20 feet. The tornado ended shortly before the Oklahoma state line.
A supercell which moved southeast through Baca county produced the following three tornados. A tornado began just northwest of the intersection of county road R and country road 42. It moved southeast and struck a ranch complex, destroying a concrete block garage and damaging a vehicle inside. Roof damage was done to the nearby house. The tornado continued to move southeast, then almost due south between ranch houses before lifting 7 miles after initial touchdown.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,428
Population (ACS)
$123K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 16, 2015 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 7, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Springfield 143
- Campo 108
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Baca County, Colorado?
621 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $5.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Baca County?
Hail, with 399 recorded events — 64.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Baca County?
88 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 84 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Baca County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Baca County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Baca County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Baca County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Baca 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
- Archuleta County 74
- Bent County 290
- Arapahoe County 913
- Boulder County 513
- Broomfield County 48
- Alamosa County 51
Cite this page
“Baca County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/baca-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.