Gunnison County, Colorado
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 08051 · population 16,897 · 3,239 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 2,333 records for Gunnison County, Colorado from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 1,326 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (1,575 records). 2,268 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the February 1, 2021 avalanche, filed for the forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains, which covers the county: 3 deaths and 4 injuries. FEMA has issued 9 declarations naming the county since 1973, 7 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Katrina Evacuation” on September 5, 2005.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 2,333on 1,326 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 3340 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $59Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 1strongest unrated
- FEMA declarations
- 9latest 2020
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Gunnison County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 1,575 since 1996. 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 1,575 | 952 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 2 | $89K | 26 of 63 |
| Drought | 412 | 147 | 2002-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 of 63 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 120 | 115 | 1998-2026 | 29 | 27 | $454K | 14 of 63 |
| Extreme cold | 71 | 37 | 2003-2025 | 0 | 0 | $5K | 19 of 63 |
| High wind and dust storms | 52 | 42 | 1998-2026 | 1 | 0 | $83K | 63 of 63 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 31 | 28 | 2004-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 18 of 63 |
| Wildfires | 27 | 26 | 2002-2025 | 0 | 0 | $58M | 29 of 63 |
| Floods | 19 | 15 | 1997-2023 | 2 | 0 | $656K | 51 of 63 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 11 | 10 | 1983-2006 | 1 | 0 | $100 | 53 of 63 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 6 | 2004-2015 | 0 | 0 | $62K | 33 of 63 |
| Lightning | 6 | 6 | 1996-2020 | 0 | 11 | $76K | 36 of 63 |
| Hail | 2 | 2 | 1982-2000 | 0 | 0 | – | 61 of 63 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 2021-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 54 of 63 |
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 Gunnison County had?
NOAA records 1 tornado in Gunnison County from 2021 to 2021, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. 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 1 tornado whose track touched Gunnison County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 1, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Colorado.
Every tornado record filed for Gunnison County (1)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-05-29 | Marble, Gunnison County | EFU 0.65 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
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 Gunnison County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 21, 2026 avalanche (1 injury).
On the accident day, the avalanche danger in the area was rated 3/5 - Considerable at all levels, below, near, and above treeline. Avalanche danger was rated on all aspects, with large to very large avalanches likely west through north to east aspects, and small avalanches possible on southwest through southeast aspects. Avalanche discussion indicated that recent avalanches in the area had been large enough to bury, injure, or kill a person, and could be triggered remotely, from a distance or below, and could travel long distances. The accident group consisted of three backcountry tourers, 1 split board rider and 2 skiers, and the intention was to ski a southwest slope from a sub-peak south of Bonita Peak into Minnehaha Basin (37.893, -107.625). Before ascending toward their destination, they stomped on several areas of drifted snow with no reaction. …
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1315393)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-13 | High WindDelta County and 3 more · forecast zone Central Gunnison And Uncompahgre River Basin | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-06 | Winter WeatherDelta County and 2 more · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtGunnison County and 4 more · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtGunnison County and Montrose County · forecast zone Upper Gunnison River Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtDelta County and 2 more · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtDelta County and 3 more · forecast zone Central Gunnison And Uncompahgre River Basin | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | Winter WeatherGunnison County and 4 more · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | Winter StormDelta County and 2 more · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-31 | Winter WeatherGunnison County and 4 more · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-31 | Winter StormDelta County and 2 more · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-31 | DroughtGunnison County and Montrose County · forecast zone Upper Gunnison River Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-31 | DroughtDelta County and 3 more · forecast zone Central Gunnison And Uncompahgre River Basin | 0 | 0 | – |
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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02-01 | AvalancheGunnison County and 3 more · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains A group of backcountry skiers triggered a large avalanche while on a multi-day trip in the mountains near The Nose, Middle Fork Mineral Creek southeast of Ophir. This was a soft slab avalanche that was 1000 feet wide and ran 1500 vertical feet. Four skiers were caught in the avalanche with 3 fatalities. Please visit ... | 3 | 4 | – | |
| 1999-02-06 | AvalancheGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains/Taylor Park / W Lake / W Chaffee / Wc To Ec Gunnison A group of 4 college students were caught in an avalanche which was triggered by one of the skiers while traversing a slope just below the summit on Cumberland Pass, which is about 25 miles east-northeast of Gunnison in the Sawatch Mountain Range. The entire slope at the 12,000 foot elevation fractured 6 feet deep and ... | 3 | 1 | – | |
| 2019-02-16 | AvalancheGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains A pair of back country skiers were skinning up a steep mountain after a recent winter storm brought 1 to 2 feet of new snow to the area. The new snow fell on top of an unstable snow pack from earlier winter storms. The skiers were apparently together in the middle of the slope when the avalanche released. They were ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-02-25 | AvalancheGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains A group of backcountry snowshoers accidentally triggered an avalanche while hiking to a private backcountry home in the Yule Creek area of West-Central Colorado. Three of the hikers and two dogs were caught in the avalanche with one hiker and the two dogs buried. Two others were partially buried. Rescue efforts were ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2023-03-17 | AvalancheGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains An avalanche caught three backcountry recreationists (two skiers, one splitboarder) in the upper Rapid Creek, southwest of the town of Marble, Colorado. Two members of the group were caught up in the avalanche and one was completely buried in over 4 feet of snow and debris. One member was injured and the third was ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2010-02-11 | AvalancheGunnison County and 3 more · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains Seven back-country skiers ventured out on a hut trip near the Ridgeway Hut in the northern San Juan Mountains when two of the skiers were caught in an avalanche. Nearby observations indicated anywhere from 10 to 16 inches of fresh snow had fallen in the 6 days leading up to the event. The skiers were attempting their ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2002-03-15 | AvalancheGunnison County and 3 more · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains Two out-of-bounds skiers triggered a soft-slab avalanche east of the Telluride Ski Area at an elevation of 11,800 feet. The slide traveled 2200 vertical feet, killing one person and seriously injuring another. The victim was not recovered until weeks later, as debris at the bottom of the slide was estimated to be 30 ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-01-07 | AvalancheGunnison County and 4 more · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains The Colorado Avalanche Information Center provided all the information regarding this fatal avalanche accident. The incident occurred in the Northwest San Juan Mountains, on the slopes of Red Mountain #3. The snowpack in this location was known to be weak, and the avalanche danger on the day of the accident was rated ... | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-10 | WildfireGunnison County and Montrose County · forecast zone Upper Gunnison River Valley | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2025-08-01 | WildfireGunnison County and Montrose County · forecast zone Upper Gunnison River Valley | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2025-09-01 | WildfireGunnison County and Montrose County · forecast zone Upper Gunnison River Valley | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2023-12-01 | WildfireGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2023-11-01 | WildfireGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2023-10-01 | WildfireGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2023-09-01 | WildfireGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2023-08-01 | WildfireGunnison County · forecast zone West Elk And Sawatch Mountains | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
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 Gunnison 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 180 | 529 | 616 | 250 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 192 | 132 | 88 |
| Landslides and avalanches | – | – | – | – | 4 | 62 | 28 | 26 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 12 | 11 | 48 z |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 13 | 8 | 27 z |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 0 | 4 | 15 | 12 |
Extreme cold in the 2020-26: 48 records against 11 in the decade before, 48 of them forecast-zone records. High wind and dust storms in the 2020-26: 27 records against 8 in the decade before, 27 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Gunnison County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Gunnison County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 353 · Feb 329 · Mar 284 · Apr 235 · May 133 · Jun 62 · Jul 67 · Aug 66 · Sep 79 · Oct 155 · Nov 248 · Dec 322 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Gunnison County
FEMA's register lists 9 declarations that include Gunnison County: 4 major disasters, 4 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for biological (2) and fire (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-28 | DR-4498 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3436 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3224 | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-04-09 | EM-3185 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 2002-06-23 | FM-2431 | Fire | Co-Wiley Ridge Fire-06/23/02 |
| 2002-06-19 | DR-1421 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 1984-07-27 | DR-719 | Flood | Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides & Flooding |
| 1977-01-29 | EM-3025 | Drought | Drought |
| 1973-07-06 | DR-396 | Flood | Flooding & Landslides |
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 Gunnison County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 19 flood or flash flood records for Gunnison County from 1997 to 2023, on 15 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Gunnison County ranks 1766th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $87,000 on 40 claims filed in Gunnison County; the most in one year was 11 in 1984. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1980: 3 · 1984: 11 · 1985: 3 · 1993: 2 · 1995: 4 · 1997: 1 · 2000: 1 · 2005: 1 · 2008: 8 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 2 · 2011: 1 · 2019: 1; the other years: 0.
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 Gunnison County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gunnison County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $21.3 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very High | $7.0M | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | $590K | 2.1 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $542K | 55 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $262K | once in about 1,403 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $12M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $63K | 41 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $61K | 63 modeled event-days a year |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $246K | once in about 826 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Gunnison County
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
- Winter storms in ColoradoThe state's winter storm records, 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 Gunnison CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Gunnison County's FEMA declarations (CSV)9 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis