NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Buena Vista, 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 Buena Vista, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Buena Vista
The highest rating among the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 23, 2018, came within 21 miles. The most recent tornado was on June 30, 2023. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Buena Vista. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 1993, with stones of 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Buena Vista.
Compare Buena Vista's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Buena Vista
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2018 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2018 | EF0 | 11 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1991 | F0 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 2023 | Unrated | 18 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Buena Vista
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Buena Vista, from August 1, 1993: 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Buena Vista
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Buena Vista 2S, CO, 3 miles south of Buena Vista at 7,954 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 49°F; December is the coolest, at 40°F and 11°F. August is the wettest at 1.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 9.8 inches over 30 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from June to July. Lows fall below freezing on about 208 nights a year. Snowfall averages 49.3 inches a year, most of it in March. That 9.8 inches is more than at 9 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (10%). Salida, 24 miles south, has its own station (Salida, CO): 9.1 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 11 | 0.3 | 1 | 6.2 |
| Feb | 43 | 14 | 0.4 | 1 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 50 | 21 | 0.6 | 2 | 8.2 |
| Apr | 57 | 27 | 1.0 | 3 | 8.1 |
| May | 67 | 36 | 1.2 | 3 | 3.2 |
| Jun | 78 | 43 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 49 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 47 | 1.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 40 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Oct | 62 | 29 | 0.8 | 2 | 3.1 |
| Nov | 50 | 20 | 0.4 | 2 | 5.1 |
| Dec | 40 | 11 | 0.4 | 1 | 7.6 |
| Year | 60 | 29 | 9.8 | 30 | 49.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Buena Vista 2S, CO (7,954 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 Buena Vista
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 7 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Buena Vista: 6 flash floods and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $20,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 62 mph, on June 30, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 6. Of the 144 Colorado cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Buena Vista.
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
Chaffee County, which includes Buena Vista, has been named in 5 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2002, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm, 1 fire, 1 snowstorm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chaffee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.0 million a year, the 22nd highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.8 million (64%), 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 Buena Vista
- Salida, CO24 mi
- Fairplay, CO26 mi
- Leadville, CO27 mi
- Breckenridge, CO43 mi
- Aspen, CO43 mi
- Crested Butte, CO44 mi
- Florissant, CO45 mi
- Frisco, CO46 mi
- Cotopaxi, CO48 mi
- Snowmass Village, CO49 mi
- Divide, CO52 mi
- Gunnison, CO52 mi
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