NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ordway, 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 Ordway, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 48 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 48
- 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 Ordway
The strongest of the 48 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on October 20, 1953; its path came within 6 miles. Of the 48, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2023. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ordway. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ordway.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ordway
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s2
- 2000s8
- 1990s11
- 1980s5
- 1970s4
- 1960s4
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 20, 1953 | F3 | 6 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1977 | F2 | 5 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 1965 | F2 | 8 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 1965 | F2 | 22 mi | 4.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 20, 1953 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1951 | F2 | 6 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1998 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 1997 | F1 | 25 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 7, 1987 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1987 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1986 | F1 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1983 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 48, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ordway
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Ordway since 1961, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 24, 1987. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. June has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ordway
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ordway 1 ENE, CO, 3 miles southeast of Ordway at 4,312 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 12°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 86 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 173 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 11.1 inches is more than at 14 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (15%). Rocky Ford, 15 miles south, has its own station (Rocky Ford 2 SE, CO): 12.6 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 12 | 0.2 | 1 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 48 | 17 | 0.2 | 1 | 3.0 |
| Mar | 60 | 25 | 0.5 | 2 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 67 | 34 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.8 |
| May | 77 | 45 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 55 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 61 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 59 | 1.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 49 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 70 | 34 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 56 | 22 | 0.3 | 1 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 45 | 13 | 0.2 | 1 | 3.3 |
| Year | 69 | 35 | 11.1 | 25 | 14.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ordway 1 ENE, CO (4,312 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 Ordway
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 13 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ordway: 10 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 14, 1996.
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
Crowley County, which includes Ordway, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires, 2 floods, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Crowley County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.3 million a year, the 62nd highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $759,000 (34%), 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 Ordway
- Rocky Ford, CO15 mi
- La Junta, CO21 mi
- Las Animas, CO35 mi
- Pueblo, CO46 mi
- Pueblo West, CO53 mi
- Fountain, CO58 mi
- Calhan, CO58 mi
- Lamar, CO63 mi
- Fort Carson, CO64 mi
- Peyton, CO65 mi
- Penrose, CO69 mi
- Limon, CO71 mi
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