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Colorado · County tornado history

Kiowa County, Colorado tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 95 tornadoes in Kiowa County, Colorado from 1950 through 2024, about 1.3 a year. That ranks it 12 of 54 counties in Colorado with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF-U on July 6, 2023.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
95
Since 2000
57
Strongest
EF3, March 28, 2007
Most recent
EF-U, July 6, 2023
Peak month
May (38)
Per 1,000 sq mi
53
FEMA tornado risk
Very Low

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit Kiowa County

May has brought the most, 38 of 95. About 88% touched down between 2 pm and 8 pm (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it).

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 61
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 16
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 4
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 2
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 0
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0
EF-U Unknown: no damage to rate (mostly since 2016) 12

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in Kiowa County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
March 28, 2007 EF3 28 mi 900 yd 2 9
October 17, 1971 F3 5.6 mi 500 yd
May 10, 1975 F2 21.9 mi 440 yd
May 12, 1975 F2 11.1 mi 440 yd
May 18, 1982 F2 2 mi 200 yd
April 27, 2012 EF2 0.7 mi 50 yd
May 17, 1978 F1 0.5 mi 33 yd 1
April 27, 2012 EF1 2.2 mi 100 yd 1
July 4, 1967 F1 0.1 mi 10 yd
July 24, 1973 F1 0.5 mi 17 yd

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Kiowa County was an EF3 on March 28, 2007. It killed 2 people and injured 9 along its 28-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
July 6, 2023 EF-U 0.9 mi 20 yd
May 27, 2023 EF-U 0.9 mi 1 yd
June 17, 2019 EF-U 0.1 mi 10 yd
June 17, 2019 EF-U 0.1 mi 10 yd
May 26, 2019 EF-U 0.2 mi 20 yd
May 9, 2017 EF-U 1.2 mi 50 yd
July 15, 2016 EF0 3.8 mi 50 yd
May 27, 2016 EF-U 0.2 mi 75 yd

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in Kiowa County as very low, with a score of 15 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 1.46 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $182,411 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has Kiowa County had?

95 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 57 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Kiowa County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF-U on July 6, 2023. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Kiowa County?

An EF3 on March 28, 2007, with a 28-mile path.

When is tornado season in Kiowa County?

May has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.