Lincoln County, Colorado severe weather history spans 859 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 65.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #235 nationally and #10 in Colorado.
859
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$30.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Lincoln County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lincoln County, Colorado severe weather history averages 11.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 244 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 98 events fall before 1990 and 761 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $29.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lincoln County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 566 | 0 | $11K | 4 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 152 | 0 | $27K | 96 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 115 | 0 | $29.5M | F3 | 1951–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $435K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Lincoln County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
113 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 110 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-06 | EF3 | 0 | 14 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-06 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lincoln County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 14 | $25.0M | |
| Aug 18, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | (LIC)LIMON ARPT | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 11, 2001 | Lightning | LIMON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jun 6, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous country roads were washed out by heavy rainfall over southern Lincoln County; an estimated 25 roads were damaged or destroyed. The floodwaters washed out several culverts. Some of roads included: Lincoln County Road M, east of CO 71 and LCR K; LCR X just east of LCR 2; LCR J; LCR 17 from LCR M to LCR F. Numerous other county roads were scoured and damaged. Two bridges are heavily scoured on each approach, but the structures remained intact. Doppler radar rainfall estimates and trained spotters indicated that 2 to 4.8 inches of rain had fallen, heaviest in and around Punkin Center. Two residences were reportedly suffered flood damage.
Local law enforcement reported thunderstorms with torrential rain and hail. Storm totals around Limon and Hugo ranged from 2.4 to 3.7 inches. The hail piled up several inches deep along highways 24 and 71, stranding vehicles. Floodwaters up to 2 feet deep were observe running across a roadway 3 miles south of Limon.
Flash Flooding occurred when torrential rain and hail caused a nearby creek to jump its banks. The creek inundated State Highway 71 with 3 feet of water. Several county roads in the immediate vicinity were also washed out and closed until they could be repaired.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,550
Population (ACS)
$247K
Median home value
10
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 |
| Sep 14, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Karval 169
- Limon 118
- Hugo 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lincoln County, Colorado?
859 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $30.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lincoln County?
Hail, with 566 recorded events — 65.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lincoln County?
113 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 110 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lincoln County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lincoln County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lincoln County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lincoln 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
- Las Animas County 437
- Logan County 850
- Larimer County 915
- Mesa County 472
- La Plata County 256
- Mineral County 7
Cite this page
“Lincoln County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/lincoln-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.