Every state’s records

Colorado Weather Records

10 official all-time records

The official all-time extremes for Colorado, as NOAA’s State Climate Extremes Committee lists them: from 115°F at John Martin Dam to -61°F at Maybell.

Maximum Temperature

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
115°FJuly 20, 2019John Martin Dam054388NA

Replaces previous established record of 114 degrees F set at Las Animas on July 1, 1933 and tied at Sedgwick on July 11, 1954. Also, a 118 degrees F report that had persisted in the record books at Bennett, CO on July 11, 1888 was found to be a transcription error. Area temperatures were ~15-20 degrees cooler on that date..

Minimum Temperature

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
-61°FFebruary 1, 1985Maybell055446E: Value is unchanged from previous extremes tables last updated by NCEI (formerly NCDC) between 1998 and 2006. Value exceeds all other valid values.

Greatest 24-Hour Precipitation

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
11.85 inchesSeptember 12, 2013USGS Rod & Gun (Ft. Carson)USGS 384053104492001NA

Had a 9 AM to 9 AM observing period been used ending at 9 AM on September 13th, that the measurement would have been 12.46\". However, the SCEC chose to confirm the calendar-day value as the official record. In either case, the previously acknowledged record of 11.08\" at Holly on June 17, 1965 was superseded.

Maximum 24-Hour Snowfall

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
75.8 inchesApril 14, 1921 to April 15, 1921Silver Lake057648E: Value is unchanged from previous extremes tables last updated by NCEI (formerly NCDC) between 1998 and 2006. Value exceeds all other valid values.

Maximum Snow Depth

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
251 inchesMarch 31, 1979Wolf Creek Pass 1E059181N: Value is changed from extremes tables last updated by NCEI (formerly NCDC) between 1998 and 2006. Value exceeds all other valid values.

Hail: Weight

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
0.53125 poundsAugust 13, 20198 mi NNW of BethuneSA

Hail: Circumference

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
12.875 inchesAugust 13, 20198 mi NNW of BethuneSA

Hail: Diameter

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
5.25 inchesAugust 8, 20238 mi ENE of KirkSA

A record hailstone was discovered by a storm chaser near Kirk, CO, on 8 August 2023. The diameter of this hailstone exceeded the prior record of 4.83 inches set near Bethune, CO, on 13 August 2019.

Hail: Volume

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
16.55 cubic inchesAugust 13, 20198 mi NNW of BethuneSA

Lowest Mean Sea Level Pressure

RecordDateWhereStationStatus
970.4 hPaMarch 13, 2019LamarUSW00003013NSA

This was the initial mean sea level pressure record established for any state. The SCEC report therefore contains several additional methodological considerations for future MSLP committees. More details are available in the report associated with this investigation.

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Every storm in Colorado since 1950Every tornado in ColoradoEvery state

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State Climate Extremes Committee records.