Colorado, 1996
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1996 was 1,647 against 306 in 1995.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jul 1996 | Jefferson | Flash Flood | — | $520,000 | 2 | — |
| 20 Feb 1996 | Forecast zone | Heavy Snow | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| 26 Jun 1996 | Garfield | Thunderstorm Wind | — | — | 1 | — |
| 20 Jul 1996 | El Paso | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 13 Jun 1996 | Ouray | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 18 Dec 1996 | Forecast zone | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 30 Aug 1996 | Pueblo | Flash Flood | — | — | 1 | — |
| 29 Oct 1996 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 81 mph | — | 1 | — |
| 16 Oct 1996 | Gunnison | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | 1 | — |
| 25 Sep 1996 | Otero | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 22 May 1996 | Adams | Hail | 1.25 in | $120,000,000 | — | — |
| 22 Feb 1996 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 74 mph | $150,000 | — | 6 |
| 9 Jul 1996 | Pueblo | Flash Flood | — | $2,000,000 | — | 5 |
| 17 Dec 1996 | Forecast zone | Dense Fog | — | $150,000 | — | 5 |
| 22 Feb 1996 | Forecast zone | Winter Storm | — | — | — | 5 |
| 20 Dec 1996 | Forecast zone | High Wind | — | — | — | 5 |
| 29 Oct 1996 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 101 mph | — | — | 5 |
| 10 Aug 1996 | Arapahoe | Thunderstorm Wind | — | — | — | 5 |
| 3 Aug 1996 | San Juan | Lightning | — | — | — | 4 |
| 3 Jan 1996 | Forecast zone | High Wind | — | $150,000 | — | 3 |
| 16 Oct 1996 | Larimer | Lightning | — | — | — | 3 |
| 23 Jul 1996 | El Paso | Hail | 2.75 in | $300,000 | — | 2 |
| 28 Jul 1996 | Larimer | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 23 Jul 1996 | Larimer | Lightning | — | — | — | 2 |
| 21 Jun 1996 | Jefferson | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 10 Jul 1996 | El Paso | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 4 Jun 1996 | Larimer | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 17 Dec 1996 | Morgan | High Wind | — | — | — | 1 |
| 19 Aug 1996 | Alamosa | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 22 Aug 1996 | Denver | Flood | — | — | — | 1 |
| 14 Sep 1996 | Douglas | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 10 Sep 1996 | El Paso | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 24 Jul 1996 | El Paso | Hail | 0.75 in | $8,700,000 | — | — |
| 13 Jul 1996 | Adams | Tornado | F2 | $220,000 | — | — |
| 29 Oct 1996 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 100 mph | $5,200,000 | — | — |
| 12 Jul 1996 | Boulder | Hail | 1.25 in | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 8 Aug 1996 | Fremont | Flash Flood | — | $800,000 | — | — |
| 7 Aug 1996 | Costilla | Hail | 0.75 in | $450,000 | — | — |
| 14 Mar 1996 | Forecast zone | Winter Storm | — | $600,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jul 1996 | Pueblo | Hail | 1.00 in | $300,000 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1996
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 May 1996 | FM-2178 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Buffalo Creek Fire | 0 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1996 date of loss
57 NFIP claims, 31 of them paid, for $115,416.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.