NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Black Hawk, CO
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Black Hawk, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 17
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Black Hawk
The strongest of the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on October 15, 1980; its path came within 21 miles. Of the 17, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 7 each. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2012. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Black Hawk. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1973, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Black Hawk.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Black Hawk
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s7
- 1980s4
- 1970s1
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1997 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1996 | F1 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1987 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1982 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1982 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 1953 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 2012 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2007 | EF0 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1996 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1996 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1995 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Black Hawk
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Black Hawk since 1973, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 22, 2009. The most recent report is from August 23, 2025.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Black Hawk
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Coal Creek Canyon, CO, 9 miles northeast of Black Hawk at 8,950 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 73°F and low of 48°F; December is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°F. April is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 25.8 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 211 nights a year. Snowfall averages 194.7 inches a year, most of it in April. That 25.8 inches is more than at 88 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (97%). Idaho Springs, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Georgetown, CO): 18.3 inches a year, 7.5 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 73°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 16 | 1.0 | 3 | 17.4 |
| Feb | 34 | 15 | 1.3 | 4 | 23.2 |
| Mar | 41 | 20 | 2.7 | 5 | 35.6 |
| Apr | 46 | 24 | 3.8 | 8 | 42.0 |
| May | 55 | 33 | 3.2 | 8 | 16.6 |
| Jun | 67 | 41 | 2.2 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Jul | 73 | 48 | 2.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 71 | 46 | 2.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 64 | 39 | 1.9 | 4 | 2.7 |
| Oct | 52 | 30 | 1.7 | 4 | 16.1 |
| Nov | 41 | 21 | 1.2 | 4 | 18.4 |
| Dec | 33 | 15 | 1.1 | 3 | 21.8 |
| Year | 51 | 29 | 25.8 | 64 | 194.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Coal Creek Canyon, CO (8,950 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Black Hawk
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 11 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Black Hawk: 9 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $316,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 61 mph, on June 25, 2005. September has had the most flash floods, 7 of 9. Of the 144 Colorado cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 86 have had fewer than Black Hawk.
September 14, 2013: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Black Hawk — $256,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Gilpin County, which includes Black Hawk, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gilpin County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.5 million a year, the 53rd highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.9 million (43%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Black Hawk
- Idaho Springs, CO6 mi
- Nederland, CO10 mi
- Evergreen, CO14 mi
- Golden, CO15 mi
- Boulder, CO19 mi
- Fraser, CO20 mi
- Arvada, CO21 mi
- Louisville, CO22 mi
- Wheat Ridge, CO22 mi
- Morrison, CO22 mi
- Lakewood, CO23 mi
- Conifer, CO23 mi
All Colorado cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Black Hawk with another place →