Mitchell County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Mitchell 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.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

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.

Claims by ZIP code

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.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 30, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm moved across Mitchell County and produced straight-line wind damage about three miles east of Colorado City. There were five downed powerline poles along the south frontage road of I-20 between mile markers 221 and 222. An 86 car train was derailed about one mile south of the frontage road which caused a large fire. A long stretch of the track was also damaged. Based on the damage, the peak wind speeds were estimated by an NWS survey team to range between 80 to 100 mph. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.

2. Jun 23, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm moved across Mitchell County and produced wind damage near Loraine. Multiple high profile train cars derailed just south of I-20 near mile marker 223 along Lucus Road. The survey team estimated that the wind speeds were roughly 90 mph through this area. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.

3. Jan 28, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$590,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wind turbine was destroyed by the severe gust. In addition, a cedar tree was also snapped near its base.

4. Apr 26, 2011Wildfire, Mitchell$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This fire, known as the Champion Fire, burned 1,000 acres in Mitchell County. Six homes were threatened and saved. Three homes were destroyed.

5. Mar 4, 2004Tornado$275,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A weak tornado struck the city of Loraine resulting in one injury and damage to several light-weight structures and vehicles. Damage surveyed by a National Weather Service meteorologist began on the south side of the city near Looby Street. From there the tornado traveled northeast producing a one mile long damage path that cut across the southeast corner of the city to near Interstate 20. Along the path, a roof was partially removed from one home and several vehicles and trailers were damaged or destroyed. About $100,000 worth of musical equipment was destroyed when a cargo trailer was rolled by the tornado. The tornado began to dissipate as it crossed Interstate 20 on the east…

6. Sep 25, 2003Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado developed along Farm to Market Road 1983 just west of Colorado City, approximately one half mile south of Interstate Business 20. The tornado initially moved northwest, and produced light damage to two mobile homes along 1983. An eyewitness who observed the tornado during its early stages described the tornado as a tall and narrow vortex which lofted debris approximately 200 feet into the air. The tornado began moving west along Interstate Business 20. Part of the roof was blown off of the KVCM-KAUM Radio station. The tornado then strengthened as it moved through a rural residential neighborhood immediately south of Business 20. A house west of the radio station lost…

7. Jun 11, 2004Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service damage survey team concluded that a significant tornado struck rural areas of southeastern Mitchell County during the evening of the 11th. The team examined a damage path marked by shredded vegetation (mostly mesquite trees), downed utility poles, agricultural fences, and a complex of destroyed mobile homes that extended over ten miles in a continuous horseshoe shaped path that crossed State Route 208 twenty miles south-southeast of Colorado City.The tornado developed seventeen miles south-southeast of Colorado City around 2028 CST. Damage indicates the tornado's motion was initially toward the southeast then east as it crossed the heavily traveled State…

8. Jun 20, 1997Hail$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hail damaged many vehicles on Interstate 20.

9. Mar 4, 2004Tornado$125,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado severely damaged two trailer homes and a few recreational vehicles in the Lake Champion vicinity along Highway 208 south of Colorado City. The roof was partially removed from one trailer house, and another was rolled onto its top. No injuries were reported.

10. Oct 23, 1997Tornado$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    An early morning tornado damaged two houses nine miles south of Colorado City. The tornado also destroyed a shed, blew over three gasoline storage tanks, and tore the roof off of a barn.

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

113°FJun 27, 1994

All-time low

−11°FJan 5, 1947

Warmest night

86°FJul 2, 1980

Coldest day

9°FDec 22, 1990

Wettest day

8.28 inSep 9, 1980

Snowiest day

10.0 inNov 16, 1980

Hottest year

2011mean 66.4°F

Coldest year

1945mean 61.0°F

Wettest year

199137.05 in

Driest year

19989.35 in

Snowiest season

24.0 in1972-73

Station Roscoe (USC00417743), 2,380 ft elevation, 20.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1937 to October 23, 2026; 95.8% 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 USC00417743.
• 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.
• 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.