Colorado, 1998

Hail and Damaging Wind in Colorado, May 24, 1998

May 24, 1998 · NWS PUB · 8 events in 1 county or zone

5 hail, 2 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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.

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 40 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:19 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 2 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Otero

When
May 24, 5:17 PM MST to 5:22 PM MST
Where
Otero County, Fowler
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.120, -104.020

Funnel Cloud, Otero

When
May 24, 5:30 PM MST to 5:35 PM MST
Where
Otero County, 7 mi W of La Junta
Coordinates
37.903, -103.716 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Otero

When
May 24, 5:35 PM MST to 5:40 PM MST
Where
Otero County, 1 mi N of La Junta
Coordinates
37.903, -103.716 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Otero

When
May 24, 5:37 PM MST to 5:42 PM MST
Where
Otero County, Rocky Ford
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.050, -103.720

Hail, Otero

When
May 24, 5:41 PM MST to 5:46 PM MST
Where
Otero County, 2 mi W of La Junta
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.970, -103.580

Hail, Otero

When
May 24, 5:48 PM MST to 5:53 PM MST
Where
Otero County, La Junta
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.970, -103.550

Hail, Otero

When
May 24, 5:52 PM MST to 5:57 PM MST
Where
Otero County, La Junta Arpt
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
38.050, -103.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Otero

When
May 24, 5:52 PM MST
Where
Otero County, La Junta Arpt
Measured
73 kt (84 mph)
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
38.050, -103.520

Damaging winds moved through the industrial park and airport complex north of La Junta. Several windows were blown out of the municipal golf course clubhouse. A partially erected building in the complex was destroyed. The roof of a restroom facility was blown off. Several trees were uprooted. A trailer just south of the complex was blown on its side.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, May 1998

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: 5645947, 5645949, 5645950, 5645948, 5645951, 5645952, 5645953, 5645954.