Weld County, Colorado severe weather history spans 1,900 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 61.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #15 nationally and #2 in Colorado.
1,900
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
97
Direct injuries
$400.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Weld County, Colorado severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Weld County, Colorado severe weather history averages 25.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 489 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 320 events fall before 1990 and 1,580 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Weld County, Colorado record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $235.8M 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 Weld County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 1,168 | 0 | $10.9M | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 339 | 1 | $318K | 78 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 292 | 1 | $151.3M | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 42 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 27 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flood | 23 | 1 | $235.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2017 |
Decade by decade
Weld County, Colorado severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
296 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 293 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-22 | EF3 | 1 | 78 | 38.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Weld County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2008 | Tornado | PLATTEVILLE ARPT | 1 | 78 | $147.0M |
| Jun 30, 2023 | Flood | PROSPECT VALLEY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2009 | Lightning | EVANS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | FT LUPTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 15, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Jul 26, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 25, 2009 | Lightning | LUCERNE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A powerful tornado swept north-northwestward across Weld County and into Larimer County, carving a path of destruction, nearly 39 miles in length. The tornado, up to one-mile wide at times, initially touched down northeast of Platteville and finally lifted 6 miles west-northwest of Wellington. A tornado assessment in the aftermath of the tornado revealed extensive areas of damage. On the enhanced Fujita Scale there were pockets of EF3 damage, mainly near the Missile Silo Park Campground, and to businesses and home in eastern Windsor. ||There was one fatality, and 78 injuries. One man was killed when he tried to escape the trailer park in his motor home. Preliminary estimates from FEMA indicated 850 homes were damaged, and nearly 300 homes were significantly damaged or destroyed. Privately insured damages totaled $147 million, and the Poudre Valley Rural Electric Associated reported $1 million of damage to electric transmission lines.
A person was killed after the car they were driving was swept away by floodwaters. The accident occurred near Weld County Roads 73 and 16 . The occupant of the car drove past the roadblocks that are there to prevent vehicles from entering the dangerous floodwaters in the area. The car was found floating in the water with a driver inside the car. In total, there were six vehicles submerged into floodwaters, six human rescues, and five police dog rescues performed by deputies.
Heavy rain, ranging from 4 to 10 inches through the entire storm event, caused widespread flooding along entire drainage system of the Cache La Poudre River including Greeley and vicinity. In Evans, thousands of residents were told not to flush their toilets or shower, prompting Greeley-Evans School District 6 to close schools. Similar problems occurred in Lasalle. County commissioners estimated at least $230 million in damages to properties and infrastructure throughout Weld County. County officials estimated more than 7,000 parcels of land were impacted by floodwaters; 2,900 were residential and 2,300 were agricultural. In addition, 355 commercial and 62 industrial properties were damaged. A total of 140 county roads were closed at some point, with 654 lane miles of the county's roadways impacted by the flood. Sixty-four irrigation canals were also damaged. As a precaution, about 1,900 oil and gas wells had to be shut down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
350,396
Population (ACS)
$472K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 12, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM |
| May 26, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Coastal Storm | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Greeley 140
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Weld County, Colorado?
1,900 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $400.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Weld County?
Hail, with 1,168 recorded events — 61.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Weld County?
296 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 293 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Weld County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Weld County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Weld County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Weld County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 89 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Weld 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
- Washington County 1,104
- Yuma County 1,535
- Teller County 163
- Summit County 18
- Sedgwick County 298
- San Miguel County 97
Cite this page
“Weld County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/weld-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.