NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Penrose, 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 Penrose, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 27
- 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 Penrose
The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on April 11, 1977; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 27, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on March 26, 2024. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 57% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Penrose. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1965, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Penrose.
Compare Penrose's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Penrose
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s6
- 2000s3
- 1990s6
- 1980s5
- 1970s3
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1977 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 2006 | F1 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1989 | F1 | 1 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1988 | F1 | 1 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1985 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1985 | F1 | 1 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1981 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 1979 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1974 | F1 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1965 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1965 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2018 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Penrose
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Penrose since 1965, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 12, 2023. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. August has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Penrose
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Canon City, CO, 11 miles west of Penrose at 5,378 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 59°F; December is the coolest, at 49°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 2.3 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 14.1 inches over 35 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 144 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 14.1 inches is more than at 27 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (30%). Pueblo West, 17 miles southeast, has its own station (Pueblo Rsvr, CO): 12.6 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 18 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 50 | 20 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 59 | 26 | 1.0 | 3 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 64 | 33 | 1.8 | 4 | 4.1 |
| May | 73 | 43 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Jun | 85 | 52 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 59 | 2.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 57 | 2.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 48 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Oct | 69 | 36 | 0.9 | 2 | 3.3 |
| Nov | 57 | 26 | 0.6 | 2 | 5.1 |
| Dec | 49 | 19 | 0.5 | 2 | 6.2 |
| Year | 68 | 36 | 14.1 | 35 | 38.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Canon City, CO (5,378 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 Penrose
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 21 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Penrose: 8 flash floods, 7 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 heavy rain events and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $30,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 23, 2021. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 144 Colorado cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Penrose.
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
Fremont County, which includes Penrose, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 fires, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fremont County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.4 million a year, the 17th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.1 million (72%), 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 Penrose
- Florence, CO7 mi
- Canon City, CO14 mi
- Pueblo West, CO17 mi
- Fountain, CO24 mi
- Fort Carson, CO25 mi
- Pueblo, CO25 mi
- Cotopaxi, CO28 mi
- Manitou Springs, CO29 mi
- Westcliffe, CO32 mi
- Colorado Springs, CO33 mi
- Florissant, CO34 mi
- Divide, CO35 mi
All Colorado cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Penrose with another place →