NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elizabeth, 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 Elizabeth, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 191 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 191
- 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 Elizabeth
The highest rating among the 191 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 8 times; the most recent, on May 18, 2025, came within 11 miles. Of the 191, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 69 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 82. The most recent tornado was on July 14, 2025. Elizabeth has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 157 Colorado cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 242 times since 1960, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Elizabeth has more hail reports within 10 miles than 74% of the 157 Colorado cities.
Compare Elizabeth's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Elizabeth
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s26
- 2000s34
- 1990s33
- 1980s45
- 1970s23
- 1960s17
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2025 | EF2 | 11 mi | 0.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2012 | EF2 | 25 mi | 7.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2009 | EF2 | 11 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1985 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1983 | F2 | 5 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1978 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1961 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 14, 2025 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2025 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 6.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2018 | EF1 | in town | 1.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 191, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elizabeth
The Storm Prediction Center has 242 hail reports within 10 miles of Elizabeth since 1960, made on 125 separate days. Of these, 176 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on August 10, 2004. The most recent report is from October 27, 2025. June has the most reports, 87.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elizabeth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elizabeth 2NW, CO, 3 miles southwest of Elizabeth at 6,611 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 56°F; December is the coolest, at 43°F and 17°F. July is the wettest at 3.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 19.4 inches over 44 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 170 nights a year. Snowfall averages 74.8 inches a year, most of it in April. That 19.4 inches is more than at 75 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (82%). Parker, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (Denver Centennial Airport, CO): 15.0 inches a year, 4.4 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 18 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 44 | 18 | 1.1 | 2 | 10.2 |
| Mar | 52 | 25 | 1.3 | 3 | 10.9 |
| Apr | 58 | 30 | 2.3 | 5 | 14.6 |
| May | 67 | 40 | 2.4 | 5 | 2.8 |
| Jun | 80 | 49 | 1.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 56 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 54 | 2.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 47 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Oct | 63 | 35 | 1.1 | 3 | 8.7 |
| Nov | 52 | 25 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Dec | 43 | 17 | 1.0 | 3 | 12.0 |
| Year | 62 | 34 | 19.4 | 44 | 74.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elizabeth 2NW, CO (6,611 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 Elizabeth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 30 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elizabeth: 22 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $151,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on August 13, 2024.
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
Elbert County, which includes Elizabeth, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, on August 25, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Elbert County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.6 million a year, the 26th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.0 million (30%), 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 Elizabeth
- Franktown, CO8 mi
- Kiowa, CO9 mi
- Parker, CO12 mi
- Castle Rock, CO16 mi
- Elbert, CO17 mi
- Lone Tree, CO19 mi
- Greenwood Village, CO22 mi
- Centennial, CO22 mi
- Larkspur, CO22 mi
- Aurora, CO22 mi
- Highlands Ranch, CO23 mi
- Watkins, CO24 mi
All Colorado cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Elizabeth with another place →