NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hesperus, 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 Hesperus, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 6
- 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 Hesperus
The highest rating among the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 5, 2004, came within 15 miles. Of the 6, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hesperus. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 2013, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hesperus.
Compare Hesperus's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hesperus
By decade
- 2000s4
- 1990s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 5, 2004 | F1 | 15 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1999 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2002 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2000 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2000 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1992 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hesperus
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Hesperus since 2013, made on 2 separate days. All were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on September 22, 2013. The most recent report is from June 22, 2019.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hesperus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mancos 1SW, CO, 17 miles northwest of Hesperus at 6,897 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 51°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 12°F. September is the wettest at 1.9 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 15.6 inches over 45 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 194 nights a year. Snowfall averages 57.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 15.6 inches is more than at 46 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (51%). Durango, 22 miles northeast, has its own station (Durango, CO): 19.7 inches a year, 4.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 12 | 1.4 | 4 | 14.7 |
| Feb | 44 | 17 | 1.3 | 4 | 12.8 |
| Mar | 53 | 23 | 1.1 | 4 | 6.6 |
| Apr | 61 | 28 | 1.0 | 3 | 3.5 |
| May | 70 | 35 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.9 |
| Jun | 81 | 43 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 51 | 1.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 49 | 1.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 42 | 1.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 31 | 1.4 | 4 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 51 | 22 | 1.2 | 3 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 41 | 14 | 1.3 | 4 | 12.8 |
| Year | 62 | 30 | 15.6 | 45 | 57.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mancos 1SW, CO (6,897 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.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
La Plata County, which includes Hesperus, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives La Plata County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate 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 $39.5 million a year, the 12th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.3 million (62%), 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 Hesperus
- Mancos, CO18 mi
- Durango, CO22 mi
- Flora Vista, NM22 mi
- Aztec, NM23 mi
- Kirtland, NM28 mi
- Ignacio, CO28 mi
- Cortez, CO29 mi
- Dolores, CO31 mi
- Farmington, NM33 mi
- Bayfield, CO34 mi
- Fruitland, NM37 mi
- Bloomfield, NM41 mi
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