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Garfield County, CO hail & severe wind history
46 storm reports on file for Garfield County between 2010-06-12 and 2025-09-16 — 8 hail and 38 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 2.9 reports a year, and Jun is the busiest month.
Hail reports
8
0.5 per year
Largest hail
1.5"
ping pong ball size · 2021-07-29
Strongest gust
106 mph
92 kt · 2020-06-06
Reported damage
$20K
property + crop, as filed
Storm days
37
distinct days with a report
Busiest year
2020
8 reports
Search every Garfield County report
Filter the full record below — pick a year, narrow to a month, or drag the hail-size slider to see only the storms big enough to dent a roof (1" and up is the usual threshold insurers care about).
46 of 46 reports match.
Reports by month for the current filter — the shape of Garfield County’s storm season.
| Date | Type | Size / gust | Nearest location | Report detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-16 16:40 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 0 mi N of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | At 5:44 PM MDT, the KRIL ASOS at Rifle - Garfield County Regional Airport recorded a gust to 60 mph. Other sensors in the area at the time recorded wind gusts of 45 mph to 55 mph. These wind gusts were all associated with a passing thunderstorm, though no damages, fatalities, or injuries were reported in association w… |
| 2025-09-13 13:35 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | 0 mi N of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | At 2:39 PM MDT, the KRIL ASOS at Rifle - Garfield County Regional Airport recorded a wind gust to 58 mph in association with a passing thunderstorm. There were no other recorded gusts with this storm, and no damages, injuries, or fatalities were reported in association with this event. |
| 2025-09-12 15:30 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | 0 mi N of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | At 4:34 PM MDT, the KRIL ASOS at Rifle - Garfield County Regional Airport recorded a gust to 58 mph, with other gusts nearby in the 50-55 mph range. These gusts were associated with a passing thunderstorm. No reports of damages, injuries, or fatalities were received in association with this event. |
| 2025-08-22 16:30 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | 0 mi N of Garfield Co Arpt | A strong thunderstorm over the Rifle Garfield County Airport produced a peak wind gust of 58 mph, measured at 1631 MST. |
| 2024-09-17 12:30 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | 15.66 mi NNW of Redstone | Thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph was measured at the Sunlight Mountain AWOS observation site at 1255 MST. |
| 2024-09-16 12:30 | Wind | 51 kt 59 mph | 1.06 mi W of Douglas Pass | A thunderstorm wind gust of 59 mph was measured at a Mesonet station 1 mile west-southwest of Douglas Pass at 1256 MST. |
| 2024-08-07 16:30 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 0 mi N of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | As the afternoon moved into evening, convection that had fired over the terrain in northeastern Utah gradually moved into northwest Colorado. Enhanced by a passing shortwave and a modest upper level jet, these showers and storms were capable of producing strong to severe winds, which were only enhanced by dry surface… |
| 2024-06-14 16:00 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | .87 mi NE of Glenwood Spgs | Late in the day, a round of showers and thunderstorms moved east along the higher terrain of the central and upper Colorado River Valleys. These storms produced gusts above 45 mph, including one recorded gust to 58 mph at the Colorado Department of Transportation mesonet station 0.1 mile West of No Name Tunnel. An add… |
| 2024-05-29 16:53 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 0 mi N of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport due to virga and strong outflow winds from a distant thunderstorm to the northwest. |
| 2023-09-30 17:42 | Wind | 51 kt 59 mph | .52 mi SSE of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2023-08-01 16:30 | Hail | 1" quarter | .25 mi ESE of Carbondale | Hail estimated to be an inch in diameter was reported on social media from Carbondale. |
| 2022-10-02 18:21 | Wind | 53 kt 61 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 61 MPH was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2022-06-24 15:22 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2021-09-18 16:53 | Wind | 55 kt 63 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Regional Airport. |
| 2021-08-06 13:54 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | .53 mi W of Douglas Pass | A peak wind gust of 64 MPH was measured by the automated Mesonet weather station at Douglas Pass. |
| 2021-07-29 16:00 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | 28.92 mi NNW of Allen | Ping pong ball sized hail fell 18 miles east of Buford in Garfield County. The hail dented vehicles and broke the skylights on several campers at the Trappers Lake Campground. |
| 2021-07-13 14:08 | Wind | 55 kt 63 mph | 1.74 mi WSW of Battlement Mesa | A peak wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by the automated Mesonet weather station 2 miles southwest of Parachute. |
| 2021-07-13 14:17 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2020-08-20 17:53 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 60 mph was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2020-07-16 14:37 | Wind | 51 kt 59 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 59 mph was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2020-07-12 17:12 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 58 mph was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2020-06-26 14:28 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 58 mph was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2020-06-06 11:14 | Wind | 92 kt 106 mph | .33 mi WSW of Douglas Pass | A peak wind gust of 106 mph was measured by the Douglas Pass automated weather station, maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation. |
| 2020-06-06 11:48 | Wind | 55 kt 63 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A peak wind gust of 63 mph was measured by the automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. |
| 2020-06-05 19:14 | Wind | 58 kt 67 mph | .53 mi W of Douglas Pass | A peak wind gust of 67 mph was measured by the Douglas Pass automated weather station. |
| 2020-05-30 15:31 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | The automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport recorded a peak wind gust of 64 MPH from a severe thunderstorm. |
| 2019-09-11 15:52 | Hail | 1" quarter | 1.6 mi E of Silt | A severe thunderstorm produced large hail the size of quarters east of Silt. |
| 2019-09-08 15:34 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | .53 mi W of Douglas Pass | The automated weather station at Douglas Pass measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph as a line of showers and thunderstorms moved across the area. The severe winds resulted in 436 power outages across Garfield County. |
| 2019-09-08 16:45 | Wind | 66 kt 76 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | The automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport measured a peak wind gust of 76 mph as a line of showers and thunderstorms moved across the area. The severe winds resulted in 436 power outages across Garfield County. |
| 2019-09-08 16:51 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | 1.74 mi ESE of Garfield Co Arpt | The automated weather station 2 miles southeast of Rifle measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph as a line of showers and thunderstorms moved across the area. The severe winds resulted in 436 power outages across Garfield County. |
| 2019-06-20 12:53 | Wind | 66 kt 76 mph | .53 mi W of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | The automated weather station at the Rifle Garfield County Airport measured a peak wind gust of 76 mph from outflow winds associated with a collapsing thunderstorm. |
| 2019-04-26 20:17 | Wind | 55 kt 63 mph | 0 mi N of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | The automated weather station at the Garfield County Regional Airport (KRIL) measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph from outflow winds associated with a strong thunderstorm. |
| 2018-10-04 09:39 | Wind | 71 kt 82 mph | 0 mi N of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | A line of strong thunderstorms produced damaging winds in the Rifle area, including the Rifle Garfield County Airport where the strongest winds were measured. A single engine Cessna aircraft incurred damage as it was tipped sideways onto a wing and also tipped onto its nose. |
| 2018-10-04 09:50 | Wind | 53 kt 61 mph | 1.07 mi E of Silt | A trained weather spotter's anemometer recorded a peak wind gust of 61 MPH. |
| 2018-10-04 09:50 | Wind | 58 kt 67 mph | .69 mi S of Silt | An automated weather station 1 mile west-southwest of Silt recorded a peak wind gust of 67 MPH. |
| 2018-10-04 10:00 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | 1.38 mi S of Cattle Creek | An estimated peak wind gust of around 65 MPH blew down five trees, two of which were Cottonwoods about two-feet in diameter. |
| 2015-06-16 18:00 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 5 mi E of New Castle | Strong thunderstorm outflow winds buffeted and nearly blew vehicles off Interstate 70. |
| 2013-08-23 14:27 | Wind | 60 kt 69 mph | .61 mi WSW of (1v1)Rifle Arpt | No narrative filed · source: ASOS |
| 2012-04-26 15:44 | Wind | 57 kt 66 mph | 0 mi N of Douglas Pass | Severe thunderstorms with winds gusts near 60 mph moved through western Garfield County. |
| 2011-06-30 11:50 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | .21 mi ESE of Douglas Pass | Hail to the size of nickles was reported at Douglas Pass radar site. |
| 2010-08-04 12:09 | Hail | 1" quarter | 2.87 mi E of New Castle | Large hail up to 1.0 inch in diameter fell about 3 miles east of New Castle. |
| 2010-07-04 15:58 | Wind | 51 kt 59 mph | 0 mi N of Rifle Arpt | Wind gusts from nearby thunderstorms reached 59 mph at the Rifle Airport. |
| 2010-07-02 13:53 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | .69 mi N of Rifle | No narrative filed · source: ASOS |
| 2010-06-12 04:10 | Hail | 1" quarter | 1.77 mi E of Silt | Hail up to 1.0 inch in diameter was reported 1 mile east of Silt. |
| 2010-06-12 05:32 | Hail | 1" quarter | .59 mi N of Rifle | Hail up to 1.0 inch in diameter was reported in Rifle. |
| 2010-06-12 08:40 | Hail | 0.75" penny | 5.16 mi N of New Castle | Hail up to 3/4 of an inch in diameter was reported about 6 miles northwest of New Castle. |
Worst storm days in Garfield County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-10-04 | 4 | — | 82 mph |
| 2010-06-12 | 3 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2019-09-08 | 3 | — | 76 mph |
| 2021-07-13 | 2 | — | 63 mph |
| 2020-06-06 | 2 | — | 106 mph |
| 2021-07-29 | 1 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | — |
| 2023-08-01 | 1 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2019-09-11 | 1 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2010-08-04 | 1 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2011-06-30 | 1 | 0.88" (nickel) | — |
Reports by year
Report counts are driven partly by how many people were around to report a storm, so recent years tend to look busier than the early 2010s. Treat the trend as a reporting trend, not purely a weather trend.
When does hail hit Garfield County?
Across 13 years of records, June produced the most reports (12), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 0 | 0.0% |
| April | 2 | 4.3% |
| May | 2 | 4.3% |
| June | 12 | 26.1% |
| July | 7 | 15.2% |
| August | 7 | 15.2% |
| September | 11 | 23.9% |
| October | 5 | 10.9% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 0 | 0.0% |
Nearby counties in Colorado
El Paso County (1,114)Weld County (725)Yuma County (704)Kit Carson County (612)Washington County (421)Logan County (415)Arapahoe County (378)Elbert County (354)Cheyenne County (338)Lincoln County (335)Adams County (307)Pueblo County (303)
See all 61 Colorado counties →
About these numbers
Every row above is a report filed with the National Weather Service and archived in the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (FIPS 8045). Reports are eyewitness, trained-spotter and damage-survey observations, so they cluster near roads and towns and miss storms over empty country. Hail sizes are estimates. Damage figures are preliminary as filed and are never revised in this archive. Use this page for background, not for an insurance claim, a legal filing, or a roof assessment — for those, get the official record from NOAA directly.