Could Tornado Alley Shift Out of Eastern Colorado?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be many things. However, one of the careers that stuck with me was being a storm chaser. I have to give thanks to the movie Twister for that one. While I may have never gotten to be an official storm chaser, that hasn't stopped me from detouring from my original plans to see severe weather in Colorado.

Colorado’s Tornado Hotspots

You might be surprised to know that one Northern Colorado county usually gets more tornadoes than any other county in the United States. In years past, Weld County has been the most tornado-prone county in the USA.

READ MORE: Spring 2026 Forecast for Colorado Looks Unusual

However, one Colorado county has taken over the leaderboard since 2020,  Washington County. According to the Coloradoan, 35 tornadoes occurred in this county in a single day on June 21, 2023.

Tornado Alley is a term commonly used to describe where most tornadoes take place in the spring and summer months. The eastern portion of Colorado is part of Tornado Alley, but for how much longer?

READ MORE: Rattlesnakes Emerging Early in Colorado

According to AccuWeather, Tornado Alley has appeared to shift southeast over the years. States like Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas have been seeing more and more tornadoes as the years pass.

What This Means for Colorado

Does this mean we will see fewer tornadoes in Colorado? Hardly. Counties like Weld and Washington are prime spots for Mother Nature to conjure up a twister. The possible shift of Tornado Alley is up to interpretation for meteorologists. If anything, Tornado Alley expanding seems more likely than a shift of the severe weather.

Learn more about how tornadoes and severe weather are expanding to the southeast at accuweather.com.