Hail & Wind Storms in Thornton, CO — Latest Dates and Sizes

Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Thornton, Colorado or recorded for its county: the last 12 months from NWS warnings, storm reports, and station measurements, plus official NOAA records back to 2010.

Latest hail and wind near Thornton

  • Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): August 26, 2026 — 1.00 in. reported 22.9 mi SE of Thornton (Foxfield), SPC storm report.
  • Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): September 25, 2026 — 55 mph measured at the Denver/Centennial station (24.7 mi S of Thornton) at 4:10 PM MDT, ASOS weather station.
  • 2026 so far: 9 hail days and 46 wind days within 25 miles (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
Recent storm days near Thornton, newest first (hail 0.75 in.+ or wind 45 mph+, screening; a linked date has a storm-date page; pages are published for the most significant days that met NWS severe criteria, so some severe days have no page)
DateLargest reported hailStrongest gust
September 25, 2026—55 mph measured
September 22, 2026—64 mph measured
September 19, 2026—52 mph measured
September 18, 2026—52 mph measured
September 6, 2026—59 mph measured
August 31, 2026—52 mph measured
August 30, 2026—60 mph measured
August 29, 2026—58 mph measured
August 26, 20261.00 in. reported—
August 22, 20261.25 in. reported67 mph measured

Was your address hit on September 25, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.

Thornton, CO hail and wind storm history — Adams County on a Colorado map card

Thornton storm facts

  • StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 415 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Thornton, Colorado or recorded for Adams County in the 12 months ending October 8, 2026 (331 wind, 84 hail).
  • The strongest gust within 25 miles of Thornton in the last 12 months was 112 mph, measured 18.4 mi W of Thornton (3 NW Marshall) on December 19, 2025 (NWS Local Storm Report; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
  • The largest hail reported within 25 miles of Thornton in the last 12 months was 1.75 in., 23.6 mi SE of Thornton (2 W Arapahoe Park) on August 13, 2026 (SPC storm report).
  • The busiest day by event count near Thornton was December 17, 2025, with 44 events.
  • Adams County alone recorded 76 of those wind and hail events (41 wind, 35 hail); the Colorado page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.
Dark storm clouds with light breaking underneath over Thornton, Colorado
Photo: nine-worlds · CC BY 2.0 · cropped, resized

Thornton, Colorado storm history at a glance (last 12 months)

This free weather history for Thornton — home to about 150,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 415 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Thornton or recorded for Adams County in the trailing 12 months — 331 wind and 84 hail.

Events combine NWS warning products, observed Local Storm Reports, station measurements and official NCEI records in one event table. Because they include warnings, and wind covers thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm wind alike, they measure something different from the NCEI entry counts in the history section below; the two are not comparable year to year.

Busiest days near Thornton by event count

Ranked by the number of 12-month events, NWS warnings included, so a day with many warnings can outrank a day with larger hail.

Storm-day records for Thornton

Storm-date pages for the biggest days near Thornton: a report or station gust within 25 miles met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), with at least two separate observations. Not every storm day in the table above has a page. Each page lists the reports, station gusts and a free way to check one address:

How these numbers are counted

The storm numbers on this page are counted in four different ways, plus the free address check. Each answers a different question with its own size cutoffs, area and time span, so compare numbers within one group, not across groups.

  • Storm days (latest hail and wind): A day in the last 12 months when at least one report within 25 miles of Thornton showed hail 0.75 in. or larger or wind of 45 mph or more (StormAuditor screening thresholds). Reports are NWS storm reports from spotters, the public and officials, plus weather-station gusts, which count from 50 mph. A warning on its own never makes a storm day. The latest and largest hail, the latest and strongest gust, and the storm-day table all use this record.
  • Storm-date pages (NWS severe): A storm-date page is published only when at least one report or station gust within 25 miles of a city met the National Weather Service severe criteria (hail 1.00 in. or larger, or wind 58 mph or more), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Not every storm day gets a page; when one does, the page and the storm-day table show the same largest hail and strongest gust.
  • Events (12-month counts): Events count NWS warnings, storm reports (wind 50 mph+, hail 0.75 in.+), station gusts (50 mph+) and NCEI entries within 25 miles of Thornton or recorded for Adams County, tornado entries counted as wind. One event is one place on one day, counted separately for hail and for wind. A weather station or storm-report point counts once a day, at that day's highest reading, however many readings it filed; a place with hail and wind on the same day is two events. NWS warnings count once per county per day, and each NCEI entry once per place per day. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. The same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI) is one record. Events measure how busy the area was, not whether a storm hit: one storm can bring warnings and reports from many places, so the busiest days by event count can differ from the storm days.
  • NOAA history (since 2010): The official NOAA storm record (NCEI Storm Events) within 25 miles of Thornton or in Adams County from January 1, 2010 to the day before the 12-month window starts: hail 0.50 in.+, thunderstorm wind 40 mph+ and tornadoes. It is a separate, older record with its own "storm days" (days with any entry), so its counts are not compared with the 12-month numbers.
  • Free Report Snapshot: A free YES/NO estimate for one address, from radar and wind analysis at the property rather than area reports, at the same screening thresholds: hail 0.75 in. or wind 45 mph.

Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.

Thornton hail and wind history in NOAA NCEI records, 2010–Oct. 2025

This section covers January 1, 2010 through October 7, 2025. Storms from October 8, 2025 on are in the 12-month summary above, so no date is counted in both.

Bar chart of storm days per year near Thornton for 2010–Oct. 2025 in NOAA NCEI Storm Events records; the busiest year was 2019 with 28 storm days.
Thornton storm days by year, 2010–Oct. 2025 (NOAA NCEI Storm Events).

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,648 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Thornton or in Adams County for this period, on 270 separate storm days. Hail is the more common entry — 1,306 hail reports to 267 thunderstorm wind reports.

On July 13, 2011, 4.50 in. (softball size) hail was reported in Adams County — the largest in these records for this area. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 14 different years of this record, the latest being 2025 through Oct. 7. The strongest measured thunderstorm gust was 82 mph on June 2, 2012 in Adams County. NCEI also lists 75 tornado entries for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.

Hail peaks in June (38% of all hail reports), while thunderstorm wind reports cluster in July. None of these NCEI storm days fell in December through February.

The most storm days came in 2019, with 28; the fewest in a full year was 9, in 2012. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 16 storm days a year, below the 15-year average of 17.

Thornton storm entries by year, 2010–Oct. 2025 (NOAA NCEI Storm Events)
YearHail reportsThunderstorm wind reportsTornado entriesStorm daysLargest hailStrongest measured gust
20108243142.75 in.62 mph
201143231204.50 in.75 mph
2012169392.00 in.82 mph
201313162131.75 in.76 mph
2014821713262.00 in.77 mph
20156146162.50 in.70 mph
20164372142.50 in.74 mph
20174090102.75 in.62 mph
2018132172243.00 in.70 mph
201914185282.50 in.79 mph
202022640142.00 in.78 mph
20211081410142.00 in.68 mph
202226148101.50 in.74 mph
20233283012262.75 in.68 mph
2024111125132.75 in.66 mph
2025 through Oct. 758193192.25 in.70 mph

Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/co/thornton.json (free, open license, cite StormAuditor).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (thunderstorm wind, hail, and tornado entries; hail 0.50 in. or larger, wind 40 mph or more; wind converted from knots).

Thornton storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025

How big did hail get in Thornton, 2010–Oct. 2025?

4.50 in., softball size, reported on July 13, 2011 in Adams County, per NCEI. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 14 years of this record in all, most recently 2023, 2024 and 2025 through Oct. 7.

Which year had the most storm days near Thornton, 2010–Oct. 2025?

2019, with 28 storm days (141 hail reports, 8 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 tornado entries). The 15-year average is 17 storm days.

How many hail reports does Thornton see in a typical year?

About 83 hail reports a year (2010–2024 average), with 1-inch or larger hail reported every year. Thunderstorm wind averages 17 reports a year.

What month has the most hail near Thornton?

June has the most hail reports (492, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by May (421) and July (205).

What is the strongest measured thunderstorm gust near Thornton, 2010–Oct. 2025?

82 mph, measured on June 2, 2012 in Adams County. Only gusts NCEI lists as measured count here; gusts measured on a date and county with a tornado entry, and entries of 120 knots or more (known entry errors), are left out.

Thornton hail map and wind map

Researching hail or wind in Thornton? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across Colorado, including the Thornton metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through Adams County. Both explorers are included with Pro+ and Organization plans.

County-level activity is on the Impact Heatmap (free with an account), and day-by-day history is on the Storm Calendar (Pro plans and higher).

Free Thornton weather report by address

Area maps show where storms tracked; an insurance claim or roof inspection turns on what happened at the property. Three ways to check one Thornton address:

All values are estimates from public NOAA data under our published methodology (see Limitations).

For roofers, adjusters, and claim attorneys: the professional tools add statewide hail and wind swath maps, the Zone Canvas Tool, and Audit Reports with the evidence and arithmetic — see how roofing contractors and insurance claim attorneys use them.

Sources: NWS alerts (api.weather.gov) · NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · ASOS/AWOS station gusts via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · every StormAuditor data source.

Free Thornton storm data download

The Thornton storm records for the last 12 months download free, free to reuse under the data license: download CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-data/co/thornton.json.

Nearby city storm pages:

Guides for reading this data

Cite or link to this data — free

Free to quote, summarize, reuse, and link — for bloggers, journalists, researchers, contractors, and AI writing tools. No permission or credit required. A ready-made citation and link are below if they help. Terms: StormAuditor data & content license.

Citation: StormAuditor. "Thornton, CO Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated September 25, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/co/thornton

HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/co/thornton">Thornton, CO Hail & Wind Storm History — StormAuditor</a>

About this page: built by Storm Auditor LLC from public NOAA/NWS records — deduplicated warnings, storm reports, station measurements, and official records on a rolling 12-month window, under the published methodology. See the StormAuditor Editorial Team for how content is produced.

Data last refreshed October 8, 2026. Event counts cover wind and hail (warning products, and storm reports from 50 mph or 0.75 in.); flood activity and Special Weather Statements are not counted here.