NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elko, NV
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 Elko, Nevada since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 11 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 11
- 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 Elko
The highest rating among the 11 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 24, 2023, came within 22 miles. Of the 11, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 5. Elko has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 78% of the 32 Nevada cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 8 times since 2014, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Elko has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 32 Nevada cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Elko
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s1
- 1990s3
- 1980s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1987 | F1 | 13 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 2021 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2014 | EF0 | 4 mi | 0.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2014 | EF0 | 2 mi | 0.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2012 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2004 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1996 | F0 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1992 | F0 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 1991 | F0 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1987 | F0 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 11 of 11, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elko
The Storm Prediction Center has 8 hail reports within 10 miles of Elko since 2014, made on 7 separate days. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 24, 2023. The most recent report is from May 24, 2023.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elko
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elko NWS Office, NV, 2 miles south of Elko at 5,235 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 16°F. January and May are the wettest at 1.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 10.7 inches over 33 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 190 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.8 inches a year, most of it in December. That 10.7 inches is more than at 21 of the 27 Nevada stations used on this site (78%). Spring Creek, 17 miles south, has its own station (S Fk State Rec Area, NV): 9.6 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 16 | 1.3 | 4 | 8.5 |
| Feb | 42 | 19 | 0.9 | 3 | 6.8 |
| Mar | 52 | 26 | 1.0 | 4 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 58 | 31 | 1.1 | 4 | 3.2 |
| May | 69 | 38 | 1.3 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 81 | 46 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 55 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 52 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 42 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 31 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 48 | 22 | 0.9 | 3 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 37 | 15 | 1.2 | 4 | 10.6 |
| Year | 62 | 33 | 10.7 | 33 | 38.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elko NWS Office, NV (5,235 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 Elko
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elko: 29 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 1, 2004. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 9. Of the 29 Nevada cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 14 have had fewer than Elko.
July 21, 2018: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Elko — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Scaffolding collapsed from gusty outflow winds between 50 to 55 mph. No injuries, but the roadway was blocked.”
April 27, 2018: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Elko — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “A dry microburst produced a wind gust to 67 MPH at the NWS Elko WFO. Other minor damage in town consisted of displaced shingles and a damaged fence.”
August 1, 2004: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Elko — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Microburst winds destroyed an old air-mail hanger and the Civil Air Patrol building. A vehicle parked next to the building was destroyed when the back wall collapsed on it.”
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 Elko's ZIP code 89801 have filed 25 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $131,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2017, with 14. Of the 14 Nevada cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 4 have fewer than Elko.
Elko County, which includes Elko, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Elko County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $74.6 million a year, the 3rd highest of 17 Nevada counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 million (11%), 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 Elko
- Spring Creek, NV17 mi
- Carlin, NV22 mi
- Battle Mountain, NV75 mi
- West Wendover, NV84 mi
- Winnemucca, NV115 mi
- Ely, NV119 mi
- Buhl, ID128 mi
- Filer, ID130 mi
- Twin Falls, ID131 mi
- Kimberly, ID133 mi
- Hansen, ID133 mi
- Hagerman, ID140 mi
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