Colorado, 1998
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 1998 was 1,066 against 1,352 in 1997.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 1998 | Forecast zone | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 3 | 15 |
| 23 Sep 1998 | Prowers | Lightning | — | — | 1 | 3 |
| 8 Aug 1998 | Teller | Lightning | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 14 Aug 1998 | Rio Blanco | Lightning | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 21 Jan 1998 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | — |
| 8 Mar 1998 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | — |
| 2 Apr 1998 | Forecast zone | Heavy Snow | — | — | 1 | — |
| 18 Feb 1998 | Forecast zone | Heavy Snow | — | — | 1 | — |
| 16 Oct 1998 | Arapahoe | Hail | 2.00 in | $87,800,000 | — | — |
| 9 Aug 1998 | Larimer | Lightning | — | — | — | 6 |
| 29 Mar 1998 | Denver | Thunderstorm Wind | — | — | — | 4 |
| 22 May 1998 | Morgan | Hail | 1.50 in | $2,200,000 | — | 2 |
| 4 Jul 1998 | Lake | Lightning | — | $1,000 | — | 2 |
| 17 Jun 1998 | Forecast zone | High Wind | — | $200,000 | — | 1 |
| 3 Jun 1998 | Kit Carson | Thunderstorm Wind | 92 mph | $100,000 | — | 1 |
| 23 Nov 1998 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 58 mph | $50,000 | — | 1 |
| 27 Mar 1998 | Garfield | Heavy Rain | — | $20,000 | — | 1 |
| 8 Nov 1998 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | $500 | — | 1 |
| 29 Sep 1998 | Mesa | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 22 May 1998 | Denver | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 25 Jul 1998 | Arapahoe | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 19 Aug 1998 | El Paso | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 7 Apr 1998 | Archuleta | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 77 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 2 May 1998 | Delta | Flash Flood | — | $1,400,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1998 | Yuma | Hail | 2.75 in | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 31 Jul 1998 | Gilpin | Flash Flood | — | $500,000 | — | — |
| 20 Sep 1998 | Weld | Lightning | — | $500,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jul 1998 | Mesa | Heavy Rain | — | $400,000 | — | — |
| 8 Nov 1998 | Forecast zone | Winter Storm | — | $300,000 | — | — |
| 19 Sep 1998 | Washington | Thunderstorm Wind | 92 mph | $200,000 | — | — |
| 24 May 1998 | Arapahoe | Tornado | F0 | $100,000 | — | — |
| 10 Jul 1998 | El Paso | Lightning | — | $85,000 | — | — |
| 29 Mar 1998 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | $75,000 | — | — |
| 25 Mar 1998 | Forecast zone | Flood | — | $60,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1998 | Yuma | Hail | 2.75 in | $50,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1998 | Yuma | Hail | 1.75 in | $50,000 | — | — |
| 24 May 1998 | Otero | Tornado | F1 | $50,000 | — | — |
| 6 Jul 1998 | El Paso | Lightning | — | $50,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jul 1998 | Garfield | Lightning | — | $50,000 | — | — |
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 1998
No declaration touching Colorado was made in 1998.
Flood insurance claims with a 1998 date of loss
84 NFIP claims, 46 of them paid, for $480,753.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.