Routt County, Colorado
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1976 and 2024, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
3
Tornado reports
19
Hail reports
17
Floods since 1996
103
All events
0
Deaths
$303K
Property damage
Tornado paths in Routt County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 2 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated
Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe thunderstorm moved through the Hayden area on the evening of the 21st, bringing multiple severe threats including strong to severe winds. The peak gust recorded at KHDN AWOS at Hayden-Yampa Valley Airport was only 48 mph, but there were multiple reports of damage in Hayd…
Flood Flood
Social media reports began in late April of nuisance flooding along the Yampa Core Trail, and by the end of the month of May the Grand Junction Service hydrologist visited the area and was able to confirm the flooding was ongoing. River levels increased above the roughly 3.5 foot…
Flood Flood
Reports from the City of Steamboat Springs on facebook informed followers that the Yampa River Core Trail would be closed periodically due to snowmelt flooding as river levels fluctuated. River levels during this period ranged from 3.5 ft to 4.5 ft, before dropping below 3 ft aga…
Flood Flood
Minor flooding occurred in portions of Steamboat Springs as a result of heavy rain from thunderstorms. A CoCoRaHS observer located 1 mile north-northwest of town measured 1.18 inches of rain in 30 minutes.
Funnel Cloud Funnel Cloud
A funnel cloud was spotted by several people near Yampa.
Flood Flood
Seedhouse Road in Routt County northeast of Clark was closed between mile markers 3 and 5 as a result of flooding.
Flood Flood
Warm temperatures increased snowmelt and caused flooding on Routt County Road 44 between Highway 40 and Routt County Road 42. The road was closed for an extended period of time.
Debris Flow Debris Flow
A large mudslide occurred as a result of rapid snowmelt on County Road 129 south of Clark near Fetcher Ranch.
Flood Flood
Rapid snowmelt resulted in Dry Creek, which runs underneath S Popular Street, coming out of its banks. As a result, S Popular Street near Harvest Drive was closed due to flooding. Flood waters did not recede for several days.
Flood Flood
Rapid snowmelt resulted in Dry Creek, which runs underneath Highway 40, coming out of its banks. As a result, Highway 40 was closed and shut down in both directions from Craig to Steamboat Springs due to safety concerns. Schools in Hayden were closed. Flood waters did not recede …
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Wind gusts estimated to be in the 70 to 75 mph range uprooted or snapped some trees and blew the roof off of a house.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The automated weather station at the Yampa Valley Airport (KHDN) measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph from outflow winds associated with a strong thunderstorm.
Tornado EF0 Tornado
A relatively high-elevation tornado in the Routt National Forest was observed by numerous individuals in Routt County. The rotational winds reached the ground initially near the 8900 foot level. Although the rotational winds were on the ground for no more than a couple of minutes…
Funnel Cloud Funnel Cloud
A funnel cloud was photographed just west of Rabbit Ears Pass by a person who was traveling on Highway 40.
Debris Flow Debris Flow
A debris flow consisting of dirt and boulders up to 20 feet in diameter came down onto Highway 40 and blocked the road for several hours.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Widespread tree damage occurred in Steamboat Springs. One to two foot healthy trees snapped due to winds.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Hayden ASOS reported 59 mph wind gust.
Hail Hail
Wind blown hail stripped a lot of leaves off trees and accumulated to a depth of two inches. The largest hail stones were the sized of ping pong balls.
Hail Hail
Quarter size hail was measured 1.5 miles north of the Strawberry Park Elementary school on County Road 36.
Hail Hail
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Nearly an inch of rain fell in approximately 30 minutes.
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
A rainfall total of 1.53 inches fell within 40 minutes.
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Rainfall in excess of one and a third inches was reported within about a 30 minute period. Only minor flooding was reported.
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Rainfall for the first 30 minutes measured 1.30 inches, with 1.51 inches reported for the duration of the event. Only minor flooding was reported.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Outflow thunderstorm winds gusted to 58 mph at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport.
Hail Hail
Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in Oak Creek.
Flood Flood
The Elk River dropped below flood stage near Milner on July 1st and the warning was replaced with an areal flood advisoriy to cover this river and other small creeks and streams in northern Routt County. This advisory remained in place through July 10th as the river fluctuated ne…
Flood Flood
Rapid snow melt from a record snow pack over the Northern Colorado mountains allowed many waterways across Routt County to experience increased flows through the entire month of June. Areal flood advisories and warnings were in place to cover numerous small creeks and rivers that…
Hail Hail
Penny sized hail and brief heavy rain fell at Steamboat Lake State Park.
Hail Hail
Penny sized hail, heavy rainfall and gusty winds were reported near Hayden. The electrical power was temporarily off in the area due to the storm.
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Showers and thunderstorms produced over one inch of rain across portions of Routt County, which lead to some minor flooding along the Elk River near Milner.
Hail Hail
Hail up to 3/4 of an inch in diameter was reported in Hayden. Hail covered the ground for a couple of hours.
Hail Hail
Hail up to 1.25 inches in diameter pummeled a forested area southeast of Steamboat Lake.
Lightning Lightning
Lightning struck the South Routt Elementary School and started the building on fire. The fire and related damage were confined to the gymnasium.
Hail Hail
Flood Flood
This event began the last day of May and continued into June. The Elk River near Milner exceeded flood stage inundating low lying areas adjacent to the river, mainly pasture and farm land.
Flood Flood
The Elk River near Milner exceeded flood stage and inundated low lying areas adjacent to the river, mainly consisting of pasture and farm land. Flooding continued into the following month. Please see the June 2008 Storm Data publication for a continuation on this event.
Flood Flood
Snowmelt runoff caused some streams and creeks to exceed bankfull. Culverts were overwhelmed in areas and portions of roads were damaged. In some cases, minor flooding and road damage occurred due to snowmelt water that cascaded off slopes above roads. Water 6 to 8 inches deep fl…
Flood Flood
The Elk River near Milner exceeded flood stage and water inundated low lying pasture and farm land adjacent to the river. The river also ran above bankfull above Clark. Reports from the Routt County emergency manager indicated some dirt roads had been covered with water.
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Forty minutes of moderate rainfall resulted in some large pools of water in low lying areas within the Hahns Peak community.
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
A thunderstorm produced .90 inches of rain in 45 minutes in downtown Oak Creek.
Flood Flood
Hail Hail
Flood Flood
Hail Hail
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Hail Hail
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 5 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 |
| 2005 | 5 | 0 |
| 2004 | 5 | 0 |
| 2003 | 7 | 0 |
| 2002 | 10 | 0 |
| 2001 | 5 | 0 |
| 2000 | 11 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 | 4 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980 | 2 | 1 |
| 1978 | 2 | 0 |
| 1976 | 2 | 0 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Routt County, measured to its path.
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