States › Colorado › Rio Blanco County › Wind
Wind in Rio Blanco County, Colorado
43 damaging wind events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Thunderstorm Wind, High Wind, Strong Wind.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Rio Blanco County, Colorado, has 43 wind events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 20 different years.
September is the busiest month, with 17 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 26 events against 17 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 0.5% of the 8,940 wind events recorded in Colorado; its 1.3 per 100 square miles compares with 8.6 statewide.
32 wind reports with a measured or estimated speed reached the 58 mph severe threshold, and 4 reached hurricane force (74 mph).
Compared with Colorado
| Measure | Rio Blanco County | Colorado | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind events since 1950 | 43 | 8,940 | 701,953 |
| Per 100 square miles | 1.3 | 8.6 | 19.9 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 66.4 | 15.4 | 21.1 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 27 | 2,166 |
| Busiest month | September | June | June |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
0Mar
0Apr
0May
6Jun
10Jul
6Aug
4Sep
17Oct
0Nov
0Dec
0
Magnitude distribution
NWS wind thresholds
- under 58 mph
- below severe threshold
- 58–73 mph
- severe
- 74–95 mph
- hurricane-force
- 96 mph and over
- extreme
Wind speed converted from the knots NCEI records; estimated and measured gusts are combined. Events without a speed are not binned.
Recorded events
All 43 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Sep 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | 59 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Aug 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jul 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | 61 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Sep 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Sep 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Aug 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jul 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | 66 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Jun 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Jun 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Jun 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | 86 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jun 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Sep 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Sep 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Sep 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 59 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Jun 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Sep 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | 67 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Sep 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | 61 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Jul 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | 61 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jun 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | 85 mph | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Sep 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Sep 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | 62 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Jul 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 22 May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 72 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | 66 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jun 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Sep 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Sep 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Sep 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Aug 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | 68 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Sep 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 23 May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | 62 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | 71 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jul 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Aug 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | 66 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Sep 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Sep 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | 92 mph | $150K | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jun 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 31 May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | $500 | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many wind events has Rio Blanco County had?
43 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of damaging wind became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded wind event in Rio Blanco County?
11 Sep 2025 (Thunderstorm Wind, 58 mph). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging wind event recorded in Rio Blanco County?
The thunderstorm wind of 20 Sep 1997, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $150K.
How does Rio Blanco County compare with Colorado for wind?
1.3 events per 100 square miles against 8.6 statewide; the county holds 43 of the state's 8,940 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Wind hub and the county page.