La Plata County, Colorado severe weather history spans 256 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 25.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,068 nationally and #28 in Colorado.
256
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$18.8M
Property damage
The record
What the La Plata County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, La Plata County, Colorado severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 107 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 247 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the La Plata County, Colorado record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is wildfire, with $10.5M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in La Plata County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 64 | 0 | $6.9M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 59 | 0 | $16K | 1.34 | 1997–2018 |
| Hail | 40 | 0 | $76K | 2.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 32 | 0 | $1.2M | 87 | 1969–2024 |
| Lightning | 14 | 2 | $86K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Debris Flow | 13 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2016–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Wildfire | 10 | 0 | $10.5M | 0 | 2002–2003 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $85K | F1 | 1992–2004 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
La Plata County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-10-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-08-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in La Plata County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2020 | Lightning | DURANGO | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 31, 1997 | Lightning | DURANGO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2005 | Lightning | DURANGO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 8, 2002 | Flash Flood | DURANGO | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 65-year-old woman was killed and her friend was injured when struck by lightning while walking in the 200 block of Silver Queen South in the Edgemont subdivision. The lightning bolt first struck a tree and moved laterally to strike the woman.
Major flooding, mud and rockslides occurred in the Animas Valley along the Colorado Highway 550 corridor between mile markers 33 and 37. Fast moving flood waters and debris flowed in excess of 6 feet deep in places. About 6 feet of debris blocked Highway 550. The highway was closed for approximately 4.5 hours for debris cleanup. The flood waters and debris also flowed across the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks which lead the train to stop and, as a result of the closure of the highway, about 800 passengers were stranded north of Durango. A section of the railroad track was heavily damaged. Significant damage occurred in the Whispering Pines and Pine Acres subdivisions where flash flood waters flowed. The flash flood waters and debris also traveled across a section of County Road 250 and caused widespread damage at the Durango North/Riverside KOA campground. Radar estimated half an inch to an inch of rain fell within a short period of time in the general area of the flash flooding.
Heavy rain washed out a culvert on La Plata County Road 309A near Durango-La Plata County Airport. The road was closed for several days for repair work. The Durango Airport received 1.34 inches of rain with storms that day.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
56,331
Population (ACS)
$592K
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 |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 25, 2002 | Fire | VALLEY FIRE | FM |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jun 11, 2002 | Fire | MISSIONARY RIDGE FIRE | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Durango 143
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in La Plata County, Colorado?
256 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $18.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in La Plata County?
Flash Flood, with 64 recorded events — 25.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed La Plata County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover La Plata County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include La Plata County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is La Plata County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates La Plata County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 75 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the La Plata 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
- Lake County 8
- Larimer County 915
- Kit Carson County 1,324
- Las Animas County 437
- Kiowa County 500
- Lincoln County 859
Cite this page
“La Plata County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/la-plata-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.