64
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$990K
Property damage
Tornado in Douglas County, Colorado: 64 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #203 nationally and #16 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Douglas County, Colorado: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Douglas County is the 1980s, when 19 of the county's 64 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 Douglas County archive, tornado makes up 10.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #203 for this hazard and #16 within Colorado, putting it in the 93.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Douglas County with 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-07-19 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-20 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-14 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-22 | EF1 | 6.3 mi | 25 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-07-21 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-12 | EF1 | 1.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-28 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-15 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-29 | EF1 | 3.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1990-07-11 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 1965 | F1 | 0 | 4 | $3K | |
| May 20, 1961 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2025 | FRANKTOWN | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2023 | HIGHLANDS RANCH | EF1 | $0 |
| Sep 6, 2019 | HIGHLANDS RANCH | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2015 | DECKERS | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2014 | GREENLAND | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 27, 2012 | GREENLAND | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2012 | FRANKTOWN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2009 | CASTLE ROCK | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2009 | ACEQUIA | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2008 | CASTLE ROCK | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Douglas County
- Hail 428
- Thunderstorm Wind 55
- Flash Flood 41
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The first tornado, associated with a multi-vortex storm, touched down briefly near E-470 and South Jordan Road. Some fences were damaged and a few trees were blow down. A few of the homes also sustained minor roof damage.
A tornado touched down and damaged the Devil's Head campground and picnic grounds in Pike National Forest as well as the trail to the Fire Lookout Tower. Six acres of aspen, spruce and fir trees were knocked down. The tornado touched down at an elevation of 9,700 feet.
A tornado touched down just south of CO-470 in Douglas County, west of Lucent Blvd, impacting the city of Highlands Ranch. The tornado lifted just west of the intersection of Lincoln Ave and Lone Tree Parkway. Most all of the damage was rated EF-0, with small pockets of EF1 damage as well which involved a well built single family home.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Douglas County, Colorado?
64 tornado events are recorded in Douglas County between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Douglas County?
The strongest tornado on record in Douglas County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Douglas 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 Douglas County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/douglas-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.