Colorado high wind and dust storms
Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 64 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,370 high wind and dust records in Colorado from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 145 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 19, 2009 high wind in Elbert County and Lincoln County: 2 deaths, 6 injuries and $344,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Colorado ranks 7th of 52 states and territories by count and 26th of 51 per square mile.
High wind and dust storms in Colorado, 1996 to 2026
Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 4,3701996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 145average
- Deaths
- 13132 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $120Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2022391 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are high wind and dust records common in Colorado?
Colorado averages about 145 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 7th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (391). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Colorado records 422 high wind and dust records since 1996, 26th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Colorado have the most high wind and dust records?
Per square mile, Denver County leads Colorado: 97 days with a high wind record since 1996, 633.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Huerfano County has the most wind records (475 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the windy season in Colorado?
Colorado's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is April (871 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 471 · Feb 424 · Mar 533 · Apr 871 · May 298 · Jun 229 · Jul 18 · Aug 9 · Sep 52 · Oct 308 · Nov 412 · Dec 745 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Colorado?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-01-19 | High WindElbert County and Lincoln County · forecast zone N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County Strong northwest winds gusting to 58 mph occurred over northern Lincoln County. The combination of strong winds and very dry conditions caused areas of blowing dust and dirt to create brownout conditions. As a result, visibilities were restricted to near zero along sections of Interstate 70. Along the interstate near ... | 50 kt wind | 2 | 6 | $344K |
| 2017-01-09 | High WindEl Paso County · forecast zone Colorado Springs Vicinity / Southern El Paso County / Rampart Range Below 7500 Ft Two people were injured and then perished after being hit by flying debris in southwest Colorado Springs. | 90 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $24M |
| 1996-10-29 | High WindBoulder County and Jefferson County · forecast zone Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. High winds gusting from 70 to around 100 mph blasted across much of Northeast Colorado. The high winds were the result of a strong upper level jet ejecting out of the desert southwest and the development of a vigorous surface low in the Northeast Plains.One man was killed when a strong wind gust overturned a popup ... | 1 | 5 | $9.8M | |
| 2018-04-17 | High WindBoulder County and Jefferson County · forecast zone Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Powerful post frontal bora winds blasted along the Front Range Foothills and across Northeast and East-Central Colorado. The damaging wind gusts ranged from 60 to 90 mph. A woman in Louisville died after she was struck by a falling tree branch. She stopped to rest under a tree when a large branch broke off and struck ... | 89 kt wind | 1 | 2 | – |
| 2011-12-31 | High WindBoulder County and Jefferson County · forecast zone Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A fast moving upper level storm system, along with a deep low pressure system over Nebraska and high pressure building over Utah, combined to create a powerful windstorm across Northeast and North Central Colorado. In the mountains and foothills, several locations recorded wind gusts in excess of 100 mph. Numerous ... | 70 kt wind | 1 | 1 | – |
| 2022-05-11 | High WindGarfield County and Mesa County · forecast zone Grand Valley A man indirectly died from injuries that were sustained when he was cutting down a tree in gusty winds. | 52 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2021-12-15 | High WindOtero County · forecast zone La Junta Vicinity / Otero County Airport recorded a 81 MPH gust. Unfortunately there was a direct fatality associated with the damaging winds in La Junta. A city worker was killed while clearing debris from the side of a road and a tree fell on him. | 70 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2021-01-15 | Dust StormElbert County and Lincoln County · forecast zone N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County Strong winds produced near zero visibility along Interstate 70. Multiple accidents along I-70 forced its closure due to strong winds and near zero visibility in blowing dust. There was one fatality, with another 15 transported to Limon Hospital. US 287/40 was also closed due to the hazardous travel conditions. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-02-05 | High WindCostilla County and 2 more · forecast zone Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg And Vicinity / Nc To Sc Huerfano Strong west winds, generally gusting to 50 mph, were occurring over the Walsenburg area the morning of the 5th. An isolated gust, of unknown magnitude, but estimated at just under 70 mph, overturned a semi-truck hauling half a mobile home. The driver died at the scene of massive head and chest injuries. Wind ... | 1 | 0 | $53K | |
| 2020-06-06 | Strong WindGunnison County and 3 more · forecast zone Northwestern San Juan Mountains A 70 year old man was struck and killed by a tree that had been snapped by an earlier derecho event that moved across the area as he was clearing debris. The snapped tree had been stuck in taller trees and was dislodged by gusty winds that continued to blow in the wake of the derecho. | 35 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest high wind and dust records in Colorado
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-04-09 | High WindClear Creek County and 3 more · forecast zone Southern Front Range Foothills/Clear Creek Basin | 0 | 0 | $24M | |
| 2017-01-09 | High WindEl Paso County · forecast zone Colorado Springs Vicinity / Southern El Paso County / Rampart Range Below 7500 Ft | 90 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $24M |
| 1999-04-08 | High WindBoulder County and Larimer County · forecast zone Northern Front Range Foothills/Upper Laramie And Cache La Poudre River Basins | 0 | 0 | $13M | |
| 1996-10-29 | High WindBoulder County and Jefferson County · forecast zone Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 5 | $9.8M | |
| 2008-12-29 | High WindBoulder County and Jefferson County · forecast zone Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County | 76 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $9.6M |
| 2001-04-11 | High WindCuster County and 2 more · forecast zone Prowers County/Lamar And Vicinity One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 66 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.7M |
| 2001-05-20 | High WindWeld County · forecast zone C & S Weld County One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 72 kt wind | 0 | 6 | $5.5M |
| 1999-02-02 | High WindClear Creek County and 3 more · forecast zone Southern Front Range Foothills/Clear Creek Basin | 0 | 0 | $5.3M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Colorado?
Colorado's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Colorado | United States | Colorado's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 512 | 14,026 | 3.7% |
| 2000s | 1,048 | 37,254 | 2.8% |
| 2010s | 1,208 | 41,748 | 2.9% |
| 2020-26 | 1,602 | 36,300 | 4.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent high wind and dust records in Colorado
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-30 | Dust StormYuma County · forecast zone Yuma County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-18 | High WindAlamosa County and Rio Grande County · forecast zone Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-18 | High WindHuerfano County · forecast zone Walsenburg Vicinity / Upper Huerfano River Basin Below 7500 Ft | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | High WindDelta County and 3 more · forecast zone Central Gunnison And Uncompahgre River Basin | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | High WindGarfield County and Mesa County · forecast zone Debeque To Silt Corridor | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | High WindLa Plata County · forecast zone Animas River Basin | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | High WindBoulder County and 6 more · forecast zone S & Se Grand / W Central & Sw Boulder / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Summit / N & W Park Counties Above 9000 Feet | 86 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindBaca County · forecast zone Springfield Vicinity / Baca County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindOtero County · forecast zone La Junta Vicinity / Otero County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindLas Animas County · forecast zone Trinidad Vicinity / Lower Huerfano River Basin & Western Las Animas County Below 7500 Ft | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindHuerfano County · forecast zone Walsenburg Vicinity / Upper Huerfano River Basin Below 7500 Ft | 66 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindPueblo County · forecast zone Pueblo Vicinity / Pueblo County Below 6300 Ft | 66 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
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