Saguache County, Colorado severe weather history spans 64 recorded events between 1973 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 62.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,009 nationally and #47 in Colorado.
64
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$433K
Property damage
The record
What the Saguache County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Saguache County, Colorado severe weather history averages 1.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 21 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 56 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Saguache County, Colorado record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $253K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Saguache County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 40 | 0 | $5K | 1.75 | 1973–2024 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $253K | F1 | 1980–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6 | 0 | $110K | 70 | 1973–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $65K | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Saguache County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-04-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-06-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Saguache County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2003 | Lightning | CRESTONE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 10, 1989 | Hail | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall flooded Saguache Creek and its tributaries both north and south of highway 114. County roads and a few bridges were washed out. Property adjacent to the creeks was inundated, washing out driveways to ranch houses and destroying some hay fields.
A brief tornado developed along the northern slopes of Sawtooth |Mountain during the early afternoon of September 13th, 2025. This |tornado was at approximately 11,300ft in elevation. It quickly |pushed eastward causing tree damage and then dissipated after |about 5 minutes. Images from Saguache County Emergency Management |and a damage scar recognized via satellite data, were used to |perform the damage survey. Both radar data and the environment |were supportive of a tornado at this location.
Heavy rainfall over Medano Pass, in Great Sand Dunes National Park, triggered flash flooding and debris flows along Medano Pass Primitive Road. Sections of the road, culverts and other drainage infrastructure were washed out or covered in debris.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,580
Population (ACS)
$213K
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 |
| Jul 16, 2015 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Apr 9, 2003 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Jun 19, 2002 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Saguache County, Colorado?
64 events are on record between 1973 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $433K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Saguache County?
Hail, with 40 recorded events — 62.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Saguache County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Saguache County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Saguache County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Saguache County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Saguache County as very low risk, placing it in the 14 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Saguache 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
- Routt County 101
- San Juan County 17
- Rio Grande County 35
- San Miguel County 97
- Rio Blanco County 172
- Sedgwick County 298
Cite this page
“Saguache County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/saguache-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.