NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clifton, 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 Clifton, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 8
- 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 Clifton
The highest rating among the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 9, 2015, came within 18 miles. Of the 8, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Clifton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Clifton.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Clifton
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s5
- 1990s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2015 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 2000 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 2014 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2009 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2005 | F0 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 17, 2004 | F0 | 21 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2000 | F0 | 1 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1998 | F0 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clifton
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Clifton since 1962, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 2, 2009. The most recent report is from June 27, 2024. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clifton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grand Junction 6ESE, CO, 3 miles south of Clifton at 4,760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 19°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 67 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 9.0 inches is more than at 3 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (3%). Palisade, 4 miles east, has its own station (Palisade, CO): 10.7 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 19 | 0.5 | 2 | 3.4 |
| Feb | 47 | 25 | 0.5 | 2 | 2.1 |
| Mar | 58 | 34 | 0.8 | 2 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 65 | 40 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.6 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 59 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 65 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 63 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 54 | 1.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 41 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 52 | 30 | 0.7 | 2 | 1.7 |
| Dec | 40 | 20 | 0.5 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Year | 66 | 42 | 9.0 | 29 | 12.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Grand Junction 6ESE, CO (4,760 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 Clifton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clifton: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 heavy rain events, 15 flash floods, 9 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $293,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 14, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 15. Of the 144 Colorado cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 113 have had fewer than Clifton.
August 8, 2016: heavy rain event 7 miles from the centre of Clifton — 4 injured.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall resulted in reduced visibilities along Highway 50 near Whitewater where a fatal car accident occurred.”
July 11, 2011: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Clifton — $110,000 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
Mesa County, which includes Clifton, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mesa County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.7 million a year, the 13th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.8 million (63%), 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 Clifton
- Palisade, CO4 mi
- Grand Junction, CO6 mi
- Fruita, CO16 mi
- Loma, CO21 mi
- Cedaredge, CO30 mi
- Delta, CO31 mi
- Parachute, CO33 mi
- Olathe, CO41 mi
- Hotchkiss, CO42 mi
- Paonia, CO48 mi
- Montrose, CO57 mi
- Rangely, CO66 mi
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