NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Westcliffe, 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 Westcliffe, Colorado since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 12
- 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 Westcliffe
The strongest of the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 4, 1960; its path came within 7 miles. Of the 12, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on July 30, 2025. Of the 157 Colorado cities on this site, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Westcliffe. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 157 Colorado cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Westcliffe.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Westcliffe
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 1960 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1985 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 13, 1954 | F1 | in town | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 2025 | EF0 | 7 mi | 0.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 2019 | EF0 | 5 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 2014 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2007 | EF0 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 2005 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1997 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1992 | F0 | in town | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1966 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1965 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Westcliffe
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Westcliffe since 1967, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 1, 1996. The most recent report is from May 17, 2021. July has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Westcliffe
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Westcliffe, CO, in Westcliffe at 7,873 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 45°F; December is the coolest, at 40°F and 8°F. July is the wettest at 2.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and December the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 13.8 inches over 39 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 213 nights a year. Snowfall averages 84.3 inches a year, most of it in April. That 13.8 inches is more than at 25 of the 91 Colorado stations used on this site (27%). Canon City, 25 miles northeast, has its own station (Canon City, CO): 14.1 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 8 | 0.5 | 2 | 8.4 |
| Feb | 42 | 12 | 0.6 | 2 | 10.4 |
| Mar | 50 | 20 | 1.1 | 4 | 15.0 |
| Apr | 56 | 26 | 1.6 | 4 | 19.6 |
| May | 66 | 33 | 1.4 | 4 | 4.3 |
| Jun | 77 | 41 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 45 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 44 | 2.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 37 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.9 |
| Oct | 61 | 26 | 1.0 | 3 | 8.4 |
| Nov | 49 | 17 | 0.7 | 2 | 8.5 |
| Dec | 40 | 8 | 0.5 | 2 | 8.8 |
| Year | 59 | 26 | 13.8 | 39 | 84.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Westcliffe, CO (7,873 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 Westcliffe
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 16 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Westcliffe: 8 heavy rain events, 4 flash floods, 2 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 1. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on April 11, 2012.
August 31, 2011: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Westcliffe — 1 killed, 1 injured.
July 3, 2008: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Westcliffe — 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
Custer County, which includes Westcliffe, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1999, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires, Flooding, and Mudslides, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Custer County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.1 million a year, the 58th highest of 64 Colorado counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.9 million (46%), 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 Westcliffe
- Cotopaxi, CO16 mi
- Canon City, CO25 mi
- Florence, CO25 mi
- Penrose, CO32 mi
- Pueblo West, CO41 mi
- Salida, CO42 mi
- Center, CO42 mi
- Pueblo, CO47 mi
- Alamosa, CO50 mi
- Walsenburg, CO50 mi
- Florissant, CO52 mi
- Monte Vista, CO54 mi
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