Elbert County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Elbert County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by CO GS (3).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 15, 2009Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado began 8 miles south-southwest of Elizabeth and produced minor damage to two homes. The tornado then moved southeast and intensified with EF1 and EF2 damage observed 9 miles south of Elizabeth, with substantial damage to a farm, trees, and snapped power poles. The tornado moved on a more southerly track for the next 2 miles with additional EF1 and EF2 damage 11 miles south of Elizabeth. The tornado leveled a 70-yr old barn and a nearby cinder-block shed was torn open. Major tree damage was also observed. The tornado then continued southward for another mile before lifting with some EF0 and EF1 damage 12 miles south of Elizabeth. Minor damage to another home was observed…

2. Jun 15, 2009Tornado$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A small tornado touched down. An airplane hanger was damaged and small plane flipped.

3. Jul 29, 2009Tornado$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several power poles were completely removed from the ground, knocking out electrical power when a tornado touched down. Some trees and a home were also damaged.

4. Jun 7, 2009Tornado$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado damaged several outbuildings and a residence, and downed a number of trees. In addition, several horses were injured by flying metal debris.

5. Jun 22, 2023Flood$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused flooding and flash flooding which forced the closure of CO-86 at mile marker 44. Storm totals in the area ranged from 3.0 to 4.5 inches.

6. Jun 11, 2023Flash Flood$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding washed out or damaged several county roads north of CO-86 and west of Interstate 70.

7. Aug 13, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The fire department reported a collapsed outbuilding due to wind damage near intersection of Private Road 160 and County Road 21.

8. Jun 11, 2010Flash Flood$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused flash flooding along Interstate 70 at the River Bend Exit. Several cars were reportedly stuck in the floodwaters.

9. May 8, 2015Flash Flood$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding and flash flooding washed out several county roads including: CR73 from CR112 to CR98; Freese Road from Colorado 86 to CR112; CR102, from Double Tree Ranch to the top of the Bluff; CR9 between Colorado 86 and CR98; CR106, from Canyon Road to CR13; Maul Road also suffered extensive damage.

10. Jul 4, 2010Flash Flood$25,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Intense thunderstorms, producing heavy rainfall in excess of 5 inches in one hour, produced flash flooding in the vicinity of Elizabeth. Numerous county roads were washed out. The combination of heavy rain and hail made it necessary to run snow plows through the town. Extensive basement flooding was also observed.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

102°FJul 11, 2022

All-time low

−37°FJan 6, 1913

Warmest night

72°F2 times, most recently Jul 19, 2022

Coldest day

−8°FDec 23, 1983

Wettest day

7.00 inJun 16, 1965

Snowiest day

36.0 inOct 23, 1906

Hottest year

2021mean 56.3°F

Coldest year

1912mean 43.8°F

Wettest year

196530.39 in

Driest year

20209.81 in

Snowiest season

114.8 in1982-83

Station Castle Rock (USC00051401), 6,156 ft elevation, 18.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to September 30, 2025; 90.2% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00051401.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.