NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rangely, 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 Rangely, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Rangely
The strongest of the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on August 26, 2006; its path came within 16 miles. The most recent tornado was on August 15, 2009. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rangely. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2009, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rangely.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Rangely
By decade
- 2000s2
- 1990s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 2006 | F1 | 16 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 2009 | EF0 | 17 mi | 2.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1999 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rangely
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Rangely since 2009. All were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on August 15, 2009. The most recent report is from May 25, 2023.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rangely
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rangely 1E, CO, 5 miles north of Rangely at 5,277 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 3°F. September is the wettest at 1.3 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 11.0 inches over 34 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 11.0 inches is more than at 13 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (14%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 3 | 0.7 | 2 | 8.0 |
| Feb | 40 | 10 | 0.7 | 3 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 54 | 23 | 0.9 | 3 | 3.1 |
| Apr | 62 | 30 | 1.1 | 4 | 1.4 |
| May | 73 | 40 | 1.2 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 85 | 49 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 55 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 53 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 44 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 31 | 1.2 | 4 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 48 | 19 | 0.9 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 33 | 6 | 0.6 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Year | 63 | 30 | 11.0 | 34 | 29.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rangely 1E, CO (5,277 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 Rangely
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 14 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rangely: 6 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 heavy rain events, 2 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $100,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 28, 2011.
June 1, 2009: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Rangely — 4 injured, $250 damage.
NWS: “Four men were golfing on the seventh green at the Cedar Ridges Golf Course in Rangely when a tree 15 to 20 yards away was struck by lightning.”
June 28, 2011: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Rangely — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A microburst initially struck the ground about a quarter mile southwest of the Northwest Colorado Community College Campus and spread out generally to the northeast from that point. A significant portion of a roof on North Nichols Residence Hall was lifted up and blown completely over the structure.”
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
Rio Blanco County, which includes Rangely, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1984, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rio Blanco County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate 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 $10.9 million a year, the 33rd highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.3 million (58%), 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 Rangely
- Meeker, CO45 mi
- Parachute, CO50 mi
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- Loma, CO53 mi
- Fruita, CO59 mi
- Grand Junction, CO66 mi
- Clifton, CO66 mi
- Palisade, CO67 mi
- Roosevelt, UT69 mi
- Craig, CO72 mi
- Glenwood Springs, CO84 mi
- Hayden, CO86 mi
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