219
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$70K
Property damage
Hail in Otero County, Colorado: 219 recorded events between 1957 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #536 nationally and #23 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Otero County, Colorado: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Otero County is the 2010s, when 69 of the county's 219 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Otero County archive, hail makes up 49.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #536 for this hazard and #23 within Colorado, putting it in the 82.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for hail in Otero County with 83 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 2024 | CHERAW | 1 | $0 |
| May 31, 2024 | LA JUNTA | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2023 | FOWLER | 1.75 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2023 | MANZANOLA | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2023 | FOWLER | 1.75 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2023 | SWINK | 1.5 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2023 | SWINK | 1.5 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2023 | ROCKY FORD | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2023 | LA JUNTA | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2023 | ROCKY FORD | 1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Otero County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe thunderstorms produced hail up to baseball size in northern Otero County. At Holbrook Reservoir golf ball to baseball size hail killed over 1600 birds. The dead birds include: 1479 pelicans…over 100 acelots…about 50 gulls…24 ducks…and a couple dozen other waterfowl. A few homes in the area also had their windows broken by the large hail.
This hail report and all that follow on this date occurred as a result of a long lasting supercell which developed in Pueblo county. Severe hail was first reported in western Otero county. The cyclic supercell produced large to very large hail along its path, and brought damaging downburst winds to Bent county. No firm dollar amounts were available as of late July.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Otero County, Colorado?
219 hail events are recorded in Otero County between 1957 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Otero County?
The strongest hail on record in Otero County measured 4.5.
Where does the hail data for Otero County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Hail in Otero County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/otero-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.