Cheyenne County, Colorado severe weather history spans 851 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 56.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #245 nationally and #11 in Colorado.
851
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$4.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Cheyenne County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cheyenne County, Colorado severe weather history averages 12.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 310 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 803 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.6M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cheyenne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 484 | 0 | $895K | 4.5 | 1961–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 238 | 0 | $698K | 109 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 94 | 0 | $2.6M | F2 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $231K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2006 |
Decade by decade
Cheyenne County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
98 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 95 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-07-20 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cheyenne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| May 26, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | KIT CARSON | 0 | 2 | $30K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Report of roof damage, some windows blown out. Stock tanks and dumpsters tossed up to half a mile away to the southeast. A communications tower folded in half. Tons of dead trees and fences blown over and laying to the southeast as well.
An official for the railroad that runs by Wild Horse reported portions of track had been washed out along a five mile stretch from roughly CR R to CR 14. There were also public reports of water running over Highway 287/40 between CR R and CR 14. Rainfall estimates close to 2.50 occurred in this area in less than an hour time frame. Total amount of washed out track was not given; best guess is around 400 ft.
Significant damage and a power outage was originally reported by emergency management in Arapahoe due to thunderstorm wind gusts. Additional damage reports from the public in Arapahoe included the following: a 30 foot by 80 foot Quonset hut was completely destroyed, numerous power lines were downed, multiple houses had their roofs blown off, and a large steel building with a concrete base was destroyed as a result of this thunderstorm wind event.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,741
Population (ACS)
$188K
Median home value
9
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 |
| Jan 7, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cheyenne Wells 233
- Kit Carson 197
- Arapahoe 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cheyenne County, Colorado?
851 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cheyenne County?
Hail, with 484 recorded events — 56.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cheyenne County?
98 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 95 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cheyenne County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cheyenne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cheyenne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cheyenne County as very low risk, placing it in the 3 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cheyenne 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
- Clear Creek County 35
- Chaffee County 48
- Broomfield County 48
- Conejos County 14
- Boulder County 513
- Costilla County 24
Cite this page
“Cheyenne County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/cheyenne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.