Colorado, 2002
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 2002 was 1,193 against 1,011 in 2001.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Mar 2002 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| 15 Mar 2002 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 24 Feb 2002 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | — |
| 14 Mar 2002 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | — |
| 17 Mar 2002 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | — |
| 1 Feb 2002 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | — |
| 6 Feb 2002 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | 1 | — |
| 7 Apr 2002 | Forecast zone | Dust Storm | — | — | — | 19 |
| 8 Jun 2002 | Crowley | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $10,000 | — | 5 |
| 1 Jul 2002 | Teller | Wildfire | — | $6,000,000 | — | 2 |
| 9 Jun 2002 | Teller | Wildfire | — | $6,000,000 | — | 2 |
| 14 Jun 2002 | El Paso | Hail | 1.00 in | $24,000,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jul 2002 | Chaffee | Flash Flood | — | $100,000 | — | 2 |
| 21 May 2002 | Phillips | High Wind | 68 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 29 Aug 2002 | Arapahoe | Tornado | F1 | $6,000,000 | — | 1 |
| 1 Jul 2002 | Rio Grande | Wildfire | — | $11,000,000 | — | — |
| 19 Jun 2002 | Rio Grande | Wildfire | — | $11,000,000 | — | — |
| 7 Sep 2002 | La Plata | Flash Flood | — | $100,000 | — | 1 |
| 23 May 2002 | Adams | Thunderstorm Wind | 92 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 21 May 2002 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 75 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 1 Jun 2002 | Weld | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 5 Aug 2002 | Park | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 5 Aug 2002 | Boulder | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 1 Jul 2002 | La Plata | Wildfire | — | $8,000,000 | — | — |
| 2 Jun 2002 | Fremont | Wildfire | — | $5,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jul 2002 | Garfield | Wildfire | — | $3,500,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jul 2002 | La Plata | Wildfire | — | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 20 May 2002 | Jefferson | Wildfire | — | $2,200,000 | — | — |
| 7 Sep 2002 | La Plata | Flash Flood | — | $1,500,000 | — | — |
| 1 Aug 2002 | Garfield | Wildfire | — | $1,200,000 | — | — |
| 31 Jul 2002 | Garfield | Wildfire | — | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Sep 2002 | Garfield | Wildfire | — | $500,000 | — | — |
| 1 Aug 2002 | Garfield | Wildfire | — | $500,000 | — | — |
| 23 Jul 2002 | La Plata | Flash Flood | — | $400,000 | — | — |
| 3 Aug 2002 | La Plata | Flash Flood | — | $400,000 | — | — |
| 1 Aug 2002 | Montezuma | Wildfire | — | $300,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jul 2002 | Garfield | Flash Flood | — | $158,000 | — | — |
| 11 Sep 2002 | La Plata | Flash Flood | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 30 Apr 2002 | Custer | Wildfire | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 May 2002 | Custer | Wildfire | — | $100,000 | — | — |
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 2002
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 2002 | FM-2457 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Panorama Fire - 07/31/02 | 2 |
| 18 Jul 2002 | FM-2447 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Big Elk Fire | 1 |
| 15 Jul 2002 | FM-2442 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Burn Canyon Fire - 07/15/02 | 2 |
| 25 Jun 2002 | FM-2432 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Valley Fire | 1 |
| 23 Jun 2002 | FM-2431 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co-Wiley Ridge Fire-06/23/02 | 1 |
| 19 Jun 2002 | FM-2428 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Million Fire | 1 |
| 19 Jun 2002 | DR-1421 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires | 58 |
| 11 Jun 2002 | FM-2423 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Missionary Ridge Fire | 1 |
| 10 Jun 2002 | FM-2422 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Dierich Fire - 06/10/02 | 1 |
| 9 Jun 2002 | FM-2421 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Haymen Fire - 06/09/02 | 0 |
| 8 Jun 2002 | FM-2419 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Coal Seam Fire | 1 |
| 7 Jun 2002 | FM-2418 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ute Pass Fire | 1 |
| 3 Jun 2002 | FM-2413 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - James John / Fisher - 06/03/02 | 1 |
| 3 Jun 2002 | FM-2412 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Spring Fire - 06/03/02 | 1 |
| 2 Jun 2002 | FM-2410 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Iron Mountain Fire | 1 |
| 23 May 2002 | FM-2407 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Schoonover Fire - 05/23/02 | 1 |
| 5 May 2002 | FM-2403 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Black Mountain Fire | 1 |
| 1 May 2002 | FM-2401 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Cuerno Verde Fire | 1 |
| 23 Apr 2002 | FM-2399 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Snaking Fire - 4/23/2002 | 1 |
Flood insurance claims with a 2002 date of loss
27 NFIP claims, 15 of them paid, for $435,779.
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.