Colorado, 2003
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 2003 was 1,384 against 1,193 in 2002.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 2003 | Garfield | Lightning | — | — | 2 | — |
| 13 Jan 2003 | Forecast zone | Debris Flow | — | $75,000 | 1 | 6 |
| 31 May 2003 | Larimer | Lightning | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 27 Jul 2003 | Saguache | Lightning | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 22 Mar 2003 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | $5,000 | 1 | — |
| 5 Aug 2003 | El Paso | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 24 Aug 2003 | Park | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 17 Mar 2003 | Forecast zone | Blizzard | — | $15,500,000 | — | 2 |
| 23 Aug 2003 | El Paso | Lightning | — | — | — | 3 |
| 17 Mar 2003 | Forecast zone | Winter Storm | — | $15,500,000 | — | — |
| 17 Mar 2003 | Forecast zone | Winter Storm | — | $15,500,000 | — | — |
| 17 Mar 2003 | Forecast zone | Blizzard | — | $15,500,000 | — | — |
| 17 Mar 2003 | Forecast zone | Blizzard | — | $15,500,000 | — | — |
| 17 Mar 2003 | Forecast zone | Blizzard | — | $15,500,000 | — | — |
| 11 Aug 2003 | Teller | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Forecast zone | Avalanche | — | — | — | 1 |
| 26 Jul 2003 | Larimer | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 3 Aug 2003 | Larimer | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 24 Aug 2003 | Park | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 16 Aug 2003 | Clear Creek | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 25 Jul 2003 | El Paso | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 13 Jul 2003 | El Paso | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 20 Jun 2003 | Pueblo | Hail | 1.75 in | $4,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jun 2003 | Forecast zone | Flood | — | $3,240,000 | — | — |
| 14 Aug 2003 | Montezuma | Hail | 1.50 in | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 29 Oct 2003 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 71 mph | $979,000 | — | — |
| 15 May 2003 | Baca | Tornado | F2 | $125,000 | — | — |
| 29 Apr 2003 | Jefferson | Lightning | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 3 Aug 2003 | San Miguel | Flash Flood | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 4 Aug 2003 | Otero | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | $50,000 | — | — |
| 29 May 2003 | Forecast zone | Flood | — | $50,000 | — | — |
| 9 May 2003 | Forecast zone | Debris Flow | — | $50,000 | — | — |
| 15 May 2003 | Prowers | Thunderstorm Wind | 90 mph | $50,000 | — | — |
| 24 Jul 2003 | Chaffee | Lightning | — | $50,000 | — | — |
| 10 Aug 2003 | Alamosa | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 5 Sep 2003 | Pueblo | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 5 Sep 2003 | Fremont | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 17 Mar 2003 | Adams | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 30 Apr 2003 | Weld | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 30 Apr 2003 | Weld | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
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 2003
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Nov 2003 | FM-2511 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Buckhorn Creek Fire - 11/11/2003 | 1 |
| 29 Oct 2003 | FM-2510 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Cherokee Ranch Wildfire - 10/29/2003 | 1 |
| 29 Oct 2003 | FM-2509 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co - Overland Wildfire - 10/29/2003 | 1 |
| 25 Jul 2003 | FM-2486 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Co-Cloudy Pass Fire-07/25/2003 | 1 |
| 9 Apr 2003 | EM-3185 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | 29 |
Flood insurance claims with a 2003 date of loss
32 NFIP claims, 11 of them paid, for $46,207.
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.