Huerfano County, Colorado severe weather history spans 193 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,479 nationally and #31 in Colorado.
193
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$606K
Property damage
The record
What the Huerfano County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Huerfano County, Colorado severe weather history averages 2.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 62 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 181 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $528K 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 Huerfano County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 92 | 0 | $30K | 2.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 61 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2023 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $528K | F2 | 1958–2017 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7 | 0 | $0 | 56 | 1964–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 1999–2006 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2009 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Huerfano County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-08-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-07-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-07-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-07-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Huerfano County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 1999 | Lightning | CUCHARA | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2006 | Lightning | CUCHARA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado developed two miles southwest of the town of La Veta and moved north to two miles west of La Veta before dissipating. The tornado touched down periodically along its track. Two barns were destroyed and at least 20 pine and cottonwood trees (up to 100 feet tall) were uprooted. Downed trees had to be removed from several roads. Estimates placed damages at $100,000. There were no deaths or injuries.
Thunderstorm development created heavy precipitation over the Dog Springs Arroyo, South Oak Creek, Chavez Arroyo, and Yellowstone Creek. The Huerfano County Emergency Manager provided a delayed report of evidence for flash flooding over County Road 531 near South Oak Creek.
Thunderstorm development created heavy precipitation over the Pass, South Oak, Yellowstone, and North Abeyta Creeks. The Huerfano County Emergency Manager provided a delayed report of evidence for flash flooding over County Road 572 near Pass Creek.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,972
Population (ACS)
$248K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 28, 2018 | Fire | SPRING CREEK FIRE | FM |
| Jun 21, 2013 | Fire | EAST PEAK FIRE | FM |
| Jan 7, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Jan 8, 2006 | Fire | MAURICIO CANYON FIRE | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Huerfano County, Colorado?
193 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $606K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Huerfano County?
Hail, with 92 recorded events — 47.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Huerfano County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Huerfano County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Huerfano County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Huerfano County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Huerfano County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Huerfano 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
- Hinsdale County 16
- Jackson County 11
- Gunnison County 65
- Jefferson County 657
- Grand County 44
- Kiowa County 500
Cite this page
“Huerfano County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/huerfano-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.