NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rocky Ford, 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 Rocky Ford, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 53 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 53
- 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 Rocky Ford
The strongest of the 53 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on October 20, 1953; its path came within 16 miles. Of the 53, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on July 6, 2022. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rocky Ford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 91 times since 1961, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rocky Ford.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Rocky Ford
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s5
- 2000s5
- 1990s16
- 1980s7
- 1970s6
- 1960s4
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 20, 1953 | F3 | 16 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1977 | F2 | 13 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1951 | F2 | 8 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1998 | F1 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 1997 | F1 | 25 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 1997 | F1 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 1997 | F1 | 20 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 25, 1989 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1987 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1987 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 53, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rocky Ford
The Storm Prediction Center has 91 hail reports within 10 miles of Rocky Ford since 1961, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 5, 2023. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. June has the most reports, 40.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rocky Ford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rocky Ford 2 SE, CO, 2 miles east of Rocky Ford at 4,170 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 60°F; December is the coolest, at 47°F and 16°F. July is the wettest at 2.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 12.6 inches over 29 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 83 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 159 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.8 inches a year, most of it in March. That 12.6 inches is more than at 18 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (20%). La Junta, 10 miles east, has its own station (La Junta, CO): 13.7 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 15 | 0.3 | 1 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 52 | 19 | 0.4 | 1 | 3.8 |
| Mar | 63 | 27 | 0.8 | 2 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 71 | 36 | 1.3 | 3 | 1.8 |
| May | 80 | 46 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 90 | 56 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 60 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 59 | 1.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 50 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 72 | 36 | 0.9 | 2 | 2.1 |
| Nov | 58 | 24 | 0.4 | 1 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 47 | 16 | 0.4 | 1 | 4.3 |
| Year | 71 | 37 | 12.6 | 29 | 24.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rocky Ford 2 SE, CO (4,170 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 Rocky Ford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rocky Ford: 15 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 8 floods and 6 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $55,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 27, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 10. Of the 144 Colorado cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 94 have had fewer than Rocky Ford.
June 12, 2024: flood 9 miles from the centre of Rocky Ford — 1 killed.
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
Otero County, which includes Rocky Ford, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm, 1 drought, 1 fire). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Otero County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.9 million a year, the 32nd highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (55%), 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 Rocky Ford
- La Junta, CO10 mi
- Ordway, CO15 mi
- Las Animas, CO29 mi
- Pueblo, CO51 mi
- Pueblo West, CO59 mi
- Lamar, CO60 mi
- Walsenburg, CO66 mi
- Fountain, CO68 mi
- Trinidad, CO72 mi
- Calhan, CO72 mi
- Fort Carson, CO74 mi
- Penrose, CO76 mi
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