NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Parachute, 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 Parachute, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 1 tornado has touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 1
- 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 Parachute
The only tornado within 25 miles was an EF0 on May 19, 2009; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Parachute. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2005, with stones of 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Parachute.
Compare Parachute's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Parachute
By decade
- 2000s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2009 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 1 of 1, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Parachute
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Parachute, from October 4, 2005: 1 inch (quarter size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Parachute
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Altenbern, CO, 14 miles west of Parachute at 5,637 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 51°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 12°F. September and October are the wettest at 1.9 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 17.3 inches over 51 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 189 nights a year. Snowfall averages 54.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 17.3 inches is more than at 61 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (67%). Palisade, 30 miles southwest, has its own station (Palisade, CO): 10.7 inches a year, 6.6 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 12 | 1.2 | 4 | 11.7 |
| Feb | 44 | 18 | 1.3 | 4 | 10.8 |
| Mar | 55 | 25 | 1.4 | 5 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 62 | 30 | 1.6 | 5 | 2.9 |
| May | 73 | 38 | 1.8 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 84 | 44 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 51 | 1.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 50 | 1.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 42 | 1.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 32 | 1.9 | 5 | 1.6 |
| Nov | 50 | 21 | 1.2 | 4 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 37 | 13 | 1.3 | 4 | 15.2 |
| Year | 63 | 31 | 17.3 | 51 | 54.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Altenbern, CO (5,637 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 Parachute
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 8 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Parachute: 4 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $26,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on July 13, 2021.
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
Garfield County, which includes Parachute, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Garfield 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 $29.6 million a year, the 14th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.5 million (73%), 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 Parachute
- Palisade, CO30 mi
- Clifton, CO33 mi
- Grand Junction, CO38 mi
- Meeker, CO39 mi
- Cedaredge, CO39 mi
- Fruita, CO40 mi
- Loma, CO40 mi
- Glenwood Springs, CO42 mi
- Rangely, CO50 mi
- Carbondale, CO51 mi
- Hotchkiss, CO51 mi
- Paonia, CO51 mi
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