Elbert County, Colorado

What hazards hit Elbert County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 571 since 1957. 59% of its hail reports since 1957 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among Colorado's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Elbert County had?

NOAA records 127 tornadoes in Elbert County from 1951 to 2025, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 1 injury recorded in the county. That is 10th of 63 Colorado counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 127 tornadoes whose track touched Elbert County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 127, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Colorado.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Elbert County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 13, 2024 thunderstorm wind ($28,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The fire department reported a collapsed outbuilding due to wind damage near intersection of Private Road 160 and County Road 21.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1199003)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Elbert County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

59% of its hail reports since 1957 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Elbert County

FEMA's register lists 13 declarations that include Elbert County: 8 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (4) and biological (2).

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Elbert County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 26 flood or flash flood records for Elbert County from 1997 to 2024, on 25 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Elbert County ranks 2756th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $0 on 2 claims filed in Elbert County; the most in one year was 1 in 2012. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Elbert County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Elbert County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $16.6 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Elbert County

1. El Paso County 3,660
2. Douglas County 1,563
3. Arapahoe County 1,390
4. Elbert County 1,270
5. Lincoln County 1,100

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next

• Tornadoes in ColoradoEvery Colorado tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
• Hail in ColoradoThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
• The Colorado recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
• FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Elbert CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Elbert County's FEMA declarations (CSV)13 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis