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La Plata County, CO hail & severe wind history
40 storm reports on file for La Plata County between 2013-08-10 and 2025-09-11 — 22 hail and 18 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 3.1 reports a year, and Sep is the busiest month.
Hail reports
22
1.7 per year
Largest hail
2.5"
tennis ball size · 2013-09-22
Strongest gust
86 mph
75 kt · 2014-07-12
Reported damage
$182K
property + crop, as filed
Storm days
23
distinct days with a report
Busiest year
2013
19 reports
Search every La Plata 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).
40 of 40 reports match.
Reports by month for the current filter — the shape of La Plata County’s storm season.
| Date | Type | Size / gust | Nearest location | Report detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-11 14:45 | Hail | 1" quarter | 2 mi NNW of Falfa | At 1452 MST on September 11, a trained spotter reported 1 inch diameter hail 2 miles NNW of Falfa, Colorado. |
| 2024-09-17 08:00 | Wind | 55 kt 63 mph | 0 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | A thunderstorm wind gust of 63 mph was measured at the Durango La Plata County Airport at 825 MST. |
| 2024-09-16 17:30 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 2.82 mi SW of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | A severe thunderstorm moved through 8 miles west of Ignacio and tracked to the northeast at 30 mph. Path and time was estimated based on the Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued. Thunderstorm wind damage occurred with downed trees, a bent electric pole and a twisted power pole. Property damage occurred in which an RV ca… |
| 2024-08-23 17:00 | Wind | 55 kt 63 mph | 0 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | Despite the well saturated atmosphere, other parameters contributed to the development of a strong to severe thunderstorm over southern La Plata county. In addition to heavy rainfall, this storm produced a wind gust to 63 mph at the KDRO ASOS at Durango-La Plata County Airport. No reports of damage or injury were rece… |
| 2024-08-10 21:00 | Wind | 51 kt 59 mph | 0 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | Despite the saturated atmospheric profile, the strong to severe storms that developed on the afternoon of August 10 that were capable of producing severe winds. The peak gust with this storm was 59 mph, recorded twice at KDRO ASOS at the Durango-La Plata County Airport. This storm also produced heavy rain. No reports… |
| 2024-07-11 18:00 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 0 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | On the afternoon of the 11th, one of the storms drifting south off the San Juan mountains produced a wind gust to 60 mph over the Durango-La Plata County Airport. This gust was recorded by the KDRO ASOS at the airport. No other gusts of this magnitude were recorded, and no reports of damage or injury were received. |
| 2024-06-30 17:00 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | 0 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | A storm that formed near the Durango-La Plata County Airport produced heavy rainfall and strong, gusty winds as it moved through. Most recorded gusts were below severe thresholds, but one gust to 64 mph was recorded at the KDRO ASOS at 6:33 PM MDT. No reports of damages, injuries, or fatalities were received. |
| 2024-06-20 12:30 | Hail | 1.25" half dollar | 4 mi N of Falfa | A severe thunderstorm moved through the Durango east area producing hail from half inch to a little over quarter size. |
| 2024-05-20 16:53 | Wind | 57 kt 66 mph | 0 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | A peak wind gust of 66 MPH was measured by the automated weather station at the Durango-La Plata County Regional Airport due to virga showers. |
| 2023-09-19 15:25 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | .89 mi SSE of Trimble | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to be between 50 and 58 mph broke the branches off of several cottonwood trees at a CoCoRaHS observer's house. Additionally, a neighbors house had one of their windows damaged due to the branches being flown around. |
| 2023-06-14 20:33 | Wind | 66 kt 76 mph | .88 mi SW of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | A peak wind gust of 76 MPH was measured by the automated weather station at the Durango-La Plata County Airport. |
| 2022-09-11 16:15 | Hail | 0.75" penny | 4.18 mi S of Vallecito | Penny sized hail fell 4 miles south of Vallecito in La Plata County. |
| 2022-06-19 14:00 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 1.65 mi W of Bayfield | Golf ball sized-hail accumulated 2 miles west-southwest of Bayfield. The accumulation was estimated to be 1.5 inches deep. |
| 2022-06-19 14:32 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | .69 mi N of Oxford | Hail estimated to be the size of golf balls was reported in Oxford. |
| 2021-05-31 11:50 | Hail | 0.75" penny | 3.58 mi WSW of Durango | A severe thunderstorm produced large hail measured to be the size of pennies west-southwest of Durango. The hail accumulated on the ground. |
| 2020-08-01 13:31 | Wind | 54 kt 62 mph | 1.1 mi W of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | A peak wind gust of 62 mph was measured by the automated weather station at the Durango-La Plata County Airport. |
| 2019-06-22 17:10 | Hail | 1" quarter | 2.07 mi S of Marvel | A severe thunderstorm produced large hail the size of quarters south of Marvel. |
| 2016-09-12 14:30 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 1.79 mi NE of Bondad | Strong thunderstorm winds produced minor damage at a residence. The damage included a large trampoline which was anchored into the ground over a foot deep at all legs and was ripped out and totally demolished. |
| 2015-10-19 14:25 | Hail | 1" quarter | 2.75 mi W of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | Hail up to one inch diameter fell in a rural area of La Plata County. |
| 2015-09-23 17:35 | Hail | 1.25" half dollar | 5.02 mi NNE of Vallecito | A strong thunderstorm traveled southward across the Vallecito community and produced hailstones up to 1.25 diameter. A mallard duck was killed by the hail. The storm also produced heavy rainfall in the Vallecito area with a CoCoRaHS observer's report of 0.74 of an inch. A wind gust of 45 mph was measured at the La Pla… |
| 2014-07-12 09:14 | Wind | 75 kt 86 mph | 0 mi N of Rockwood | Vehicles and trailers were damaged from strong thunderstorm microburst at a residence in the community of Rockwood. One trailer was lifted about 10 feet off the ground by the strong winds. A house and other buildings about 100 yards away from the impacted vehicles were not damaged. |
| 2013-09-22 12:15 | Hail | 2" hen egg | 1.76 mi ESE of Kline | Hail up to the size of hen eggs and strong winds caused considerable damage to residences and property near Marvel. |
| 2013-09-22 12:30 | Hail | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Breen | Hail up to the size of hen eggs was reported. |
| 2013-09-22 12:51 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | .88 mi NE of Redmesa | Ping pong ball sized hail was observed, along with strong winds which stripped leaves and branches from trees. |
| 2013-09-22 12:51 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | .88 mi NE of Redmesa | Ping pong sized hail also reported with the winds which stripped leaves and small branches off the trees. |
| 2013-09-22 13:23 | Hail | 1.25" half dollar | 1.49 mi NNE of Durango | Half dollar sized hail was reported in the town of Durango. |
| 2013-09-22 13:30 | Hail | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Breen | Hail up to two inches in diameter pummeled the area. |
| 2013-09-22 13:38 | Wind | 54 kt 62 mph | .69 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | Strong thunderstorm outflow winds were measured at the Durango La Plata County Airport. |
| 2013-09-22 13:50 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | .88 mi NE of Bayfield | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2013-09-22 14:20 | Hail | 2.5" tennis ball | 1.49 mi NNE of Bayfield | Tennis ball sized hail was reported at 3rd and 13th streets in Durango. |
| 2013-09-18 16:26 | Hail | 0.8" nickel | 2.82 mi N of Durango | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2013-09-18 16:41 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 4.73 mi SE of Trimble | Large hail dented vehicles, broke windows, and caused other damage. |
| 2013-09-18 17:00 | Hail | 1.25" half dollar | 2.82 mi S of Vallecito | Large hail accumulated to between 3 and 12 inches deep between Durango and Vallecito. The large hail damaged a number of vehicles. |
| 2013-09-18 17:10 | Hail | 1" quarter | 3.63 mi SSE of Vallecito | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2013-09-18 17:17 | Hail | 1" quarter | 2.82 mi S of Vallecito | No narrative filed · source: CoCoRaHS |
| 2013-09-18 17:30 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 0 mi N of Durango | Hail up to the size of golf balls accumulated 8 inches deep along County Road 240. A number of vehicles sustained damage and some windows were broken. |
| 2013-08-10 13:00 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 1.99 mi ESE of Vallecito | Thunderstorm winds estimated near 60 mph caused damage to boat docks on the southern end of Vallecito Reservoir. A number of boats were also damaged by the 5 to 6 foot waves which crashed into the docks. |
| 2013-08-10 14:13 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | .69 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | No narrative filed · source: ASOS |
| 2013-08-10 14:25 | Wind | 55 kt 63 mph | .69 mi N of (Dro)Durango/Laplata | Another thunderstorm outflow produced strong winds at the La Plata County Regional Airport. |
| 2013-08-10 14:45 | Wind | 58 kt 67 mph | 1.49 mi NNE of Durango | Several large trees were blown down across the Durango area. |
Worst storm days in La Plata County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-09-22 | 9 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | 70 mph |
| 2013-09-18 | 6 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2013-08-10 | 4 | — | 67 mph |
| 2022-06-19 | 2 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2024-06-20 | 1 | 1.25" (half dollar) | — |
| 2015-09-23 | 1 | 1.25" (half dollar) | — |
| 2025-09-11 | 1 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2019-06-22 | 1 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2015-10-19 | 1 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2022-09-11 | 1 | 0.75" (penny) | — |
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.
Notable large-hail events (2" and up)
| Date | Size | Near | What was reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-09-22 | 2" hen egg | 1.76 mi ESE of Kline | Hail up to the size of hen eggs and strong winds caused considerable damage to residences and property near Marvel. |
| 2013-09-22 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Breen | Hail up to the size of hen eggs was reported. |
| 2013-09-22 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Breen | Hail up to two inches in diameter pummeled the area. |
| 2013-09-22 | 2.5" tennis ball | 1.49 mi NNE of Bayfield | Tennis ball sized hail was reported at 3rd and 13th streets in Durango. |
When does hail hit La Plata County?
Across 11 years of records, September produced the most reports (22), 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 | 0 | 0.0% |
| May | 2 | 5.0% |
| June | 6 | 15.0% |
| July | 2 | 5.0% |
| August | 7 | 17.5% |
| September | 22 | 55.0% |
| October | 1 | 2.5% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 0 | 0.0% |
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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 8067). 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.