NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Montrose, 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 Montrose, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Montrose
The highest rating among the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 6, 2005, came within 18 miles. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Montrose. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 1973, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Montrose.
Compare Montrose's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Montrose
By decade
- 2000s3
- 1990s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2005 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 13, 2004 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 11, 2002 | F1 | 25 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1994 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Montrose
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Montrose since 1973. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on August 8, 1983. The most recent report is from August 16, 2005.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Montrose
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Montrose #2, CO, 7 miles north of Montrose at 5,789 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 18°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 35 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 156 nights a year. Snowfall averages 21.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 9.3 inches is more than at 7 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (8%). Olathe, 17 miles northwest, has its own station (Montrose Regional Airport, CO): 8.4 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 18 | 0.5 | 2 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 46 | 23 | 0.5 | 2 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 57 | 30 | 0.7 | 3 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 64 | 37 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.6 |
| May | 74 | 45 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 53 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 59 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 58 | 1.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 49 | 1.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 37 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 52 | 27 | 0.7 | 2 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 41 | 18 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.9 |
| Year | 65 | 38 | 9.3 | 30 | 21.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Montrose #2, CO (5,789 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 Montrose
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 26 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Montrose: 15 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods, 3 heavy rain events, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $631,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 71 mph, on May 30, 2005.
June 21, 2024: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Montrose — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “One of several strong to severe thunderstorms that passed through the city of Montrose produced a bolt of lightning that struck a house south of town. This then set the house on fire, eventually destroying 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
Montrose County, which includes Montrose, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Montrose County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Low 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 $15.6 million a year, the 28th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.8 million (75%), 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 Montrose
- Olathe, CO17 mi
- Delta, CO26 mi
- Hotchkiss, CO31 mi
- Paonia, CO37 mi
- Cedaredge, CO38 mi
- Gunnison, CO50 mi
- Palisade, CO56 mi
- Clifton, CO57 mi
- Crested Butte, CO59 mi
- Grand Junction, CO60 mi
- Dolores, CO68 mi
- Fruita, CO70 mi
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