NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kiowa, 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 Kiowa, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 207 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 207
- 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 Kiowa
The highest rating among the 207 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 10 times; the most recent, on May 18, 2025, came within 16 miles. Of the 207, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 80 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 86. The most recent tornado was on August 10, 2025. Kiowa has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 157 Colorado cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 150 times since 1960, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Kiowa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 57% of the 157 Colorado cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Kiowa
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s30
- 2000s42
- 1990s48
- 1980s41
- 1970s18
- 1960s16
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 4.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2025 | EF2 | 16 mi | 0.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2009 | EF2 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2004 | F2 | 19 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1996 | F2 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1983 | F2 | in town | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1982 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1978 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1961 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 14, 2025 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2025 | EF1 | 20 mi | 2.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 207, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kiowa
The Storm Prediction Center has 150 hail reports within 10 miles of Kiowa since 1960, made on 91 separate days. Of these, 119 were 1 inch across or larger, and 15 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on August 10, 2004. The most recent report is from August 9, 2025. July has the most reports, 51.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kiowa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elizabeth 2NW, CO, 11 miles west of Kiowa 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, 20 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 Kiowa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 16 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kiowa: 12 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $95,000 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 Kiowa, 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 Kiowa
- Elizabeth, CO9 mi
- Franktown, CO16 mi
- Elbert, CO18 mi
- Parker, CO20 mi
- Castle Rock, CO24 mi
- Bennett, CO26 mi
- Watkins, CO27 mi
- Lone Tree, CO27 mi
- Aurora, CO28 mi
- Deer Trail, CO28 mi
- Strasburg, CO28 mi
- Larkspur, CO28 mi
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