Otero County, Colorado severe weather history spans 445 recorded events between 1953 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,081 nationally and #23 in Colorado.
445
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$555K
Property damage
The record
What the Otero County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Otero County, Colorado severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 123 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 83 events fall before 1990 and 362 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Otero County, Colorado record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $257K 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 Otero County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 219 | 0 | $70K | 4.5 | 1957–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 137 | 1 | $257K | 81 | 1957–2024 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $161K | F2 | 1953–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flood | 12 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2023 |
| Lightning | 5 | 2 | $17K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2012 |
Decade by decade
Otero County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-10-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-10-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Otero County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2024 | Flood | (LHX)LA JUNTA ARPT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | (LHX)LA JUNTA ARPT | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 9, 2005 | Lightning | ROCKY FORD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 26, 1996 | Lightning | SWINK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Sustained high flow releases from Pueblo Reservoir led to brief periods of minor flooding along the Arkansas River in La Junta (LXHC2) from June 12-13 and again on June 15. The LXHC2 stream gauge reported the first crest of 11.36 ft on June 12 and a second crest of 11.32 ft on June 15. One fatality was reported for the June 15 event.
An intense thunderstorm wind gust occurred on County Road R, hitting a ranch. Major damage occurred to a 50-foot long shed, which damaged a truck inside. Debris from the shed was thrown several hundred feet to the east. Other farm equipment sustained damage as well. Several corrals were destroyed.
Another supercell thunderstorm brought large hail and a tornado to southeast Otero county. The storm and accompanying tornado moved out of open country southwest of the Higbee Valley and struck several ranches just north of the Purgatoire River on Road 804. At about 8:45 p.m. the tornado struck three ranches about 3 miles southwest of Higbee. Some barns were destroyed, and roofs were ripped off others. Horse trailers, windmills, feed troughs, hay feeders, water tanks, grain storage bins were destroyed. Many large cottonwood trees were broken off or uprooted. The tornado ripped through the northwest side of Higbee, and one horse perished from injuries due to flying debris there. The tornado then moved northeast through open ranch country for another 5 miles, with the only known damage being two downed power poles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,321
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jan 7, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| May 17, 1999 | Severe Storm | CO-FLOODING 4/30/99 | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- La Junta 141
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Otero County, Colorado?
445 events are on record between 1953 and 2024, causing 4 direct deaths and $555K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Otero County?
Hail, with 219 recorded events — 49.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Otero County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Otero County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Otero County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Otero County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Otero County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Otero 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
- Morgan County 805
- Ouray County 52
- Montrose County 130
- Park County 72
- Montezuma County 139
- Phillips County 405
Cite this page
“Otero County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/otero-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.