NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Colorado City, AZ
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 Colorado City, Arizona 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 Colorado City
The highest rating among the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 27, 1983, came within 1 mile. The most recent tornado was on July 8, 2017. Of the 134 Arizona cities on this site, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Colorado City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 7 times since 1981, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 134 Arizona cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Colorado City.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Colorado City
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 1983 | F1 | 1 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1976 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2011 | EF0 | 13 mi | 1.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2017 | Unrated | 20 mi | 0.05 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 Colorado City
The Storm Prediction Center has 7 hail reports within 10 miles of Colorado City since 1981. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on July 28, 2006. The most recent report is from July 22, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Colorado City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Colorado City, AZ, in Colorado City at 5,001 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 62°F; December is the coolest, at 48°F and 24°F. February is the wettest at 1.8 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 14.3 inches over 37 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 72 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 14.3 inches is more than at 56 of the 76 Arizona stations used on this site (74%). Hurricane, UT, 18 miles northwest, has its own station (La Verkin, UT): 11.7 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 98°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 25 | 1.3 | 4 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 53 | 28 | 1.8 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 61 | 33 | 1.7 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 68 | 38 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.6 |
| May | 78 | 46 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 54 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 95 | 62 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 62 | 1.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 54 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 42 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 59 | 31 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 48 | 24 | 1.1 | 4 | 3.1 |
| Year | 71 | 41 | 14.3 | 37 | 12.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Colorado City, AZ (5,001 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 Colorado City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 69 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Colorado City: 58 flash floods, 5 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 13 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on July 24, 2021. July has had the most flash floods, 26 of 58. Of the 130 Arizona cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 116 have had fewer than Colorado City.
September 14, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Colorado City — 13 killed, 3 injured, $750,000 damage.
NWS: “A thunderstorm producing heavy rain moved over Hildale, Utah in the early afternoon, producing flash flooding along Short Creek and other neighboring drainages. This water flooded Highway 59, and portions of the road were closed and gated off, as this is a somewhat common occurrence for the community.”
December 19, 2010: flood 3 miles from the centre of Colorado City — $800,000 damage.
NWS: “While flooding in Kane County was less than in nearby Washington County, significant damage still occurred. Many roads were closed or impassable due to flood waters, including Highway 14, the 3rd South Connector in Kanab, and US-89 east of Kanab, the last of which had 12 inches of water flowing over the road.”
July 24, 2021: thunderstorm wind in Colorado City — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds snapped about 20 power poles along Oak Street and Mohave Avenue.”
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
Mohave County, which includes Colorado City, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mohave County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $104.9 million a year, the 6th highest of 15 Arizona counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $73.6 million (70%), 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 Colorado City
- Hurricane, UT18 mi
- La Verkin, UT22 mi
- Toquerville, UT25 mi
- Washington, UT31 mi
- St George, UT34 mi
- Santa Clara, UT38 mi
- Ivins, UT40 mi
- Cedar City, UT52 mi
- Littlefield, AZ53 mi
- Parowan, UT63 mi
- Panguitch, UT63 mi
- Logandale, NV86 mi
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