Fort Collins, CO Tornado History — 103 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Fort Collins, CO had?
Fort Collins has had 103 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 2 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Fort Collins?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Fort Collins was an Unrated on July 31, 2023.
When is tornado season in Fort Collins?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Fort Collins, with 28 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Fort Collins
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 19 total, averaging 0.9 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Fort Collins since December 29, 2025
These is a preliminary report, not confirmed tornadoes. It has not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and is not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Fort Collins. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Fort Collins
1 fatality has been recorded within 25 miles of Fort Collins since 1950, across 1 event. 80 injuries have been reported across all events. 2008 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was an EF3 on May 22, 2008, which caused 1 fatality along a 38.7-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Fort Collins
About Tornadoes in Fort Collins
This overview was written July 24, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Fort Collins sits along Colorado's northern Front Range, where the high plains run up against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. This meeting of plain and mountain gives the area a tornado climate somewhat different from the open prairie farther east, though severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are still a regular feature of its warm season.
Along the Front Range, tornadoes often form on warm afternoons when upslope winds carry low-level moisture toward the mountains and daytime heating builds strong instability. Many are relatively short-lived and can develop quickly beneath rapidly growing thunderstorms; stronger, more organized tornadoes occur when a vigorous jet stream adds wind shear. Activity concentrates in late spring and summer, when the atmosphere is warmest and most unstable, and tapers off sharply in the cold months.
Tornado intensity is measured on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which grades a tornado from EF0 to EF5 by the damage it inflicts rather than a direct wind reading. The majority of tornadoes are weak, but the region can produce stronger ones under favorable conditions. The detailed tornado history for the Fort Collins area — the number on record, how they distribute by decade and rating, and the notable events — is drawn from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center archive and shown in the figures elsewhere on this page.