NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lyons, 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 Lyons, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 37 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 37
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Lyons
The strongest of the 37 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on June 4, 2015; its path came within 7 miles. Of the 37, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2021. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lyons. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lyons.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Lyons
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s7
- 1980s10
- 1970s6
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 2015 | EF3 | 7 mi | 6.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1988 | F2 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 15, 1980 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 1997 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1997 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1996 | F1 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1988 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1985 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1983 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1983 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 37, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lyons
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Lyons since 1975, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 4, 2015. The most recent report is from June 29, 2025. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lyons
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Estes Park 3 SSE, CO, 12 miles northwest of Lyons at 7,812 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 48°F; December is the coolest, at 36°F and 16°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 184 nights a year. Snowfall averages 104.0 inches a year, most of it in April. That 17.6 inches is more than at 65 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (71%). Berthoud, 14 miles east, has its own station (Longmont 2 ESE, CO): 15.5 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 16 | 0.8 | 2 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 38 | 16 | 0.7 | 3 | 13.3 |
| Mar | 45 | 21 | 1.6 | 4 | 18.8 |
| Apr | 52 | 26 | 2.3 | 5 | 19.3 |
| May | 61 | 35 | 2.3 | 6 | 9.5 |
| Jun | 74 | 43 | 1.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 48 | 2.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 46 | 1.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 39 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Oct | 57 | 30 | 1.1 | 3 | 9.1 |
| Nov | 44 | 24 | 0.7 | 3 | 11.0 |
| Dec | 36 | 16 | 0.7 | 3 | 12.7 |
| Year | 56 | 30 | 17.6 | 48 | 104.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Estes Park 3 SSE, CO (7,812 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 Lyons
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lyons: 17 flash floods, 6 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. They killed 3 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $180,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on September 20, 2010. September has had the most flash floods, 12 of 17. Of the 144 Colorado cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 120 have had fewer than Lyons.
September 11, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Lyons — 3 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “In Boulder, Old Tale Road at McSorley was closed due to debris and downed trees. Debris forced the partial closure of 3rd Street and Canyon and the Eastbound lane of Baseline Road near Foothills Parkway.”
May 8, 2015: flood 4 miles from the centre of Lyons — $110,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused flooding of businesses along the Saint Vrain River in Lyons, south of Bohn Park. Several basements in Boulder County were reportedly flooded.”
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 Lyons's ZIP code 80540 have filed 153 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $9.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late summer storms in 2013: 131 claims (86% of all) and $9.1 million. 86% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 56 Colorado cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 51 have fewer than Lyons.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late summer storms2013 | 131 | $9.1 million |
Boulder County, which includes Lyons, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 fires, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds, on December 31, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Boulder County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $125.3 million a year, the 7th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $69.1 million (55%), 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 Lyons
- Estes Park, CO12 mi
- Berthoud, CO14 mi
- Longmont, CO15 mi
- Boulder, CO16 mi
- Loveland, CO17 mi
- Mead, CO18 mi
- Lafayette, CO21 mi
- Erie, CO22 mi
- Nederland, CO22 mi
- Louisville, CO22 mi
- Johnstown, CO23 mi
- Frederick, CO24 mi
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