Colorado, 2000

Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, July 20, 2000

July 20, 2000 · NWS PUB · 16 events in 7 counties and zones

13 hail, 2 tornado, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5.0 million
Crop damage
$15 million
Events
16

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), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 hail, 2 tornado, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, El Paso

When
July 20, 12:30 PM MST
Where
El Paso County, 2 mi E of Monument
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.832, -104.526 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a residence and caused a small fire on the roof and into the attic. The smoke and water damage was contained to the attic and roof.

Tornado, El Paso

When
July 20, 12:58 PM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
El Paso County, 6 mi ENE of Colorado Spgs
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
25 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.867, -104.717

A brief, small tornado hit the yard of a residence, pushing down part of a wooden fence and taking a few limbs off a tree. It then moved into a field and lifted.

Hail, El Paso

When
July 20, 1:00 PM MST to 1:05 PM MST
Where
El Paso County, Ellicott
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.833, -104.383

Hail, El Paso

When
July 20, 1:35 PM MST
Where
El Paso County, Colorado Spgs
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
38.833, -104.817

Hail, Pueblo

When
July 20, 2:30 PM MST to 2:35 PM MST
Where
Pueblo County, 18 mi NE of Boone
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
38.433, -104.017

Hail, Pueblo

When
July 20, 3:02 PM MST to 3:35 PM MST
Where
Pueblo County, Pueblo Muni Arpt
Measured
2 in hail
Property damage
$5.0 million
Crop damage
$15 million
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.250, -104.650

Hailstorm caused an estimated 20 million dollars in damage. Approximately 15,000 acres of crops were affected, and vehicles, airplanes, and houses were damaged.

Hail, Las Animas

When
July 20, 3:45 PM MST to 3:50 PM MST
Where
Las Animas County, Trinchera
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.050, -104.033

Hail, Otero

When
July 20, 4:20 PM MST to 4:35 PM MST
Where
Otero County, 1 mi W of Rocky Ford
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.050, -103.733

Hail, Pueblo

When
July 20, 4:20 PM MST to 4:30 PM MST
Where
Pueblo County, 41 mi SE of Pueblo
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.850, -104.067

Hail, Las Animas

When
July 20, 4:40 PM MST to 4:45 PM MST
Where
Las Animas County, 10 mi NNE of Thatcher
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.683, -103.967

Hail, Pueblo

When
July 20, 4:42 PM MST to 4:47 PM MST
Where
Pueblo County, 18 mi S of Pueblo
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.000, -104.600

Hail, Baca

When
July 20, 5:19 PM MST to 5:24 PM MST
Where
Baca County, 15 mi N of Springfield
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.617, -102.617

Tornado, Baca

When
July 20, 5:20 PM MST to 5:25 PM MST
Where
Baca County, 20 mi NW of Springfield
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.600, -102.867

A small, shortlived landspout tornado caused no known damage over open country of northwest Baca county.

Hail, Prowers

When
July 20, 5:25 PM MST to 5:30 PM MST
Where
Prowers County, 26 mi S of Lamar
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.700, -102.617

Hail, Baca

When
July 20, 5:30 PM MST to 5:35 PM MST
Where
Baca County, 1 mi N of Pritchett
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.383, -102.867

Hail, Kiowa

When
July 20, 7:40 PM MST to 7:43 PM MST
Where
Kiowa County, Eads
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.483, -102.767

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 2000Warnings in Colorado, July 2000

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: 5163025, 5163026, 5162614, 5162615, 5162616, 5162692, 5162693, 5162694, 5162695, 5162696, 5162697, 5162698, 5163024, 5162699, 5162700, 5163023.