NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dolores, 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 Dolores, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Dolores
The strongest of the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on April 25, 1985; its path came within 13 miles. The most recent tornado was on July 18, 2011. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dolores. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 2002, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dolores.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Dolores
By decade
- 2010s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1985 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 5, 1970 | F1 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2011 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dolores
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Dolores since 2002. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on October 7, 2010. The most recent report is from June 6, 2020.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dolores
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cortez, CO, 14 miles southwest of Dolores at 6,167 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 17°F. September is the wettest at 1.5 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 12.0 inches over 35 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 168 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 12.0 inches is more than at 16 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (18%). Mancos, 14 miles southeast, has its own station (Mancos 1SW, CO): 15.6 inches a year, 3.6 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 17 | 1.1 | 4 | 8.0 |
| Feb | 47 | 22 | 1.0 | 3 | 7.2 |
| Mar | 56 | 28 | 0.9 | 3 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 64 | 33 | 0.7 | 3 | 2.2 |
| May | 73 | 41 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 85 | 49 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 57 | 1.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 56 | 1.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 48 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 36 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 54 | 26 | 0.9 | 2 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 43 | 18 | 0.9 | 3 | 7.4 |
| Year | 66 | 36 | 12.0 | 35 | 33.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cortez, CO (6,167 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 Dolores
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 7 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dolores: 3 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $79,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 17, 1997.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Dolores's ZIP code 81323 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $17,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2019, with 10. Of the 56 Colorado cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 14 have fewer than Dolores.
Montezuma County, which includes Dolores, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires, 2 floods, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Montezuma County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.4 million a year, the 31st highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (53%), 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 Dolores
- Mancos, CO14 mi
- Cortez, CO14 mi
- Hesperus, CO31 mi
- Durango, CO39 mi
- Bayfield, CO49 mi
- Montezuma Creek, UT50 mi
- Kirtland, NM52 mi
- Flora Vista, NM52 mi
- Ignacio, CO53 mi
- Monticello, UT53 mi
- Aztec, NM54 mi
- Blanding, UT55 mi
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