Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, May 30, 1988

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, May 30, 1988
Start: 1988-05-30T02:05
End: 1988-05-30T21:16
Location: Colorado

May 30, 1988 · NWS DEN · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

3 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

3 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Elbert

When: May 30, 2:05 AM CST
Where: Elbert County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 39.220, -104.530

Hail, Phillips

When: May 30, 8:03 PM CST
Where: Phillips County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.630, -102.620

Tornado, Kit Carson

When: May 30, 8:30 PM MST
Where: Kit Carson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.300, -102.670

Tornado, Prowers

When: May 30, 9:00 PM MST
Where: Prowers County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 38.170, -102.720

Tornado, Cheyenne

When: May 30, 9:16 PM MST
Where: Cheyenne County
Rating: F0
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 38.930, -102.200

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Colorado, 1988 Warnings in Colorado, May 1988

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 9988259, 9988260, 9988261, 9988262, 9988263.