NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cotopaxi, 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 Cotopaxi, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 12
- 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 Cotopaxi
The strongest of the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 4, 1960; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 12, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on July 30, 2025. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cotopaxi. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1995, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cotopaxi.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Cotopaxi
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 1960 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1985 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 13, 1954 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 2025 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 2019 | EF0 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 2014 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2007 | EF0 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1997 | F0 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1992 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1966 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1965 | F0 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2016 | Unrated | 24 mi | 0.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cotopaxi
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Cotopaxi since 1995, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 1, 1996. The most recent report is from September 29, 2015. June and August have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cotopaxi
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Westcliffe, CO, 16 miles south of Cotopaxi at 7,873 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 45°F; December is the coolest, at 40°F and 8°F. July is the wettest at 2.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and December the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 13.8 inches over 39 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 213 nights a year. Snowfall averages 84.3 inches a year, most of it in April. That 13.8 inches is more than at 25 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (27%). Canon City, 16 miles northeast, has its own station (Canon City, CO): 14.1 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 8 | 0.5 | 2 | 8.4 |
| Feb | 42 | 12 | 0.6 | 2 | 10.4 |
| Mar | 50 | 20 | 1.1 | 4 | 15.0 |
| Apr | 56 | 26 | 1.6 | 4 | 19.6 |
| May | 66 | 33 | 1.4 | 4 | 4.3 |
| Jun | 77 | 41 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 45 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 44 | 2.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 37 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.9 |
| Oct | 61 | 26 | 1.0 | 3 | 8.4 |
| Nov | 49 | 17 | 0.7 | 2 | 8.5 |
| Dec | 40 | 8 | 0.5 | 2 | 8.8 |
| Year | 59 | 26 | 13.8 | 39 | 84.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Westcliffe, CO (7,873 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 Cotopaxi
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 7 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cotopaxi: 6 flash floods and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $80,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 58 mph, on May 30, 2001. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 144 Colorado cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Cotopaxi.
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
Fremont County, which includes Cotopaxi, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 fires, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fremont County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.4 million a year, the 17th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.1 million (72%), 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 Cotopaxi
- Canon City, CO16 mi
- Westcliffe, CO16 mi
- Florence, CO22 mi
- Penrose, CO28 mi
- Salida, CO30 mi
- Florissant, CO38 mi
- Pueblo West, CO43 mi
- Divide, CO44 mi
- Manitou Springs, CO47 mi
- Buena Vista, CO48 mi
- Fort Carson, CO49 mi
- Pueblo, CO50 mi
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