Mesa County, Colorado severe weather history spans 472 recorded events between 1962 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 33.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #975 nationally and #22 in Colorado.
472
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$3.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Mesa County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mesa County, Colorado severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 191 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 36 events fall before 1990 and 436 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mesa County, Colorado record is debris flow, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $1.3M 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 Mesa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 160 | 0 | $283K | 90 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 70 | 0 | $805K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 69 | 1 | $470K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Hail | 62 | 0 | $1.3M | 1.75 | 1962–2025 |
| Flood | 33 | 1 | $159K | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 23 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Debris Flow | 19 | 3 | $219K | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $96K | 0 | 1996–2016 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $1K | F1 | 1998–2015 |
| Wildfire | 10 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Dust Devil | 5 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2003–2018 |
Decade by decade
Mesa County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-09-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-05-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-10-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-06-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-04-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-04-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-08-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mesa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2014 | Debris Flow | PLATEAU CITY | 3 | 0 | $25K |
| May 6, 2023 | Flood | GATEWAY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2006 | Heavy Rain | CLIFTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2016 | Heavy Rain | WHITEWATER | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2016 | Lightning | GLADE PARK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 29, 1998 | Lightning | CLIFTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A landslide consisting of about 30 million cubic meters of rock and soil broke loose from the side of the Grand Mesa near the 10,000 foot level and traveled nearly 3 miles down the West Salt Creek drainage. Three ranchers were apparently buried by the landslide which deposited debris over 100 feet deep along the slide path. This was one of the largest landslides ever documented in the United States. This landslide occurred during the period of peak snowmelt and just after heavy rainfall occurred in the area. Radar estimates and nearby rain gauge measurements for the 36 hour period prior to the landslide were around one inch.
West Creek in Mesa County ran high and fast as a result of accelerated snowmelt resulting in the creek with flooding observed by local law enforcement. West Creek drains south into the Dolores River. A 94-year old man drowned after accidentally backing his ATV into West Creek and was swept downstream.
NWS employees and trained spotters reported large hail across a significant swath of the Grand Valley, from the Redlands area to the downtown Grand Junction area. At least 800 vehicles were damaged, including vehicles parked outside at six vehicle dealerships.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
158,601
Population (ACS)
$379K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2020 | Fire | PINE GULCH FIRE | FM |
| 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 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jun 10, 2002 | Fire | CO – DIERICH FIRE – 06/10/02 | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Grand Jct 112
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mesa County, Colorado?
472 events are on record between 1962 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $3.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mesa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 160 recorded events — 33.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mesa County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mesa County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mesa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mesa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mesa County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 75 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mesa 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
- Logan County 850
- Mineral County 7
- Lincoln County 859
- Moffat County 125
- Las Animas County 437
- Montezuma County 139
Cite this page
“Mesa County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/mesa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.