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Bethune, Colorado

11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Burlington census division. It lies in ZIP code area 80805. The Survey maps it on the Bethune quadrangle. 183 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,259 feet above sea level.

Bethune within Kit Carson County

Population over time

2 figures

Bethune fell from 237 to 183 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010237
2020183-54 (-23%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

5 surveys from 11 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

7 since 2011

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Bethune between 2011 and 2016, burning about 7 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined7

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
30 August 2013Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreBurlington Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN
6 June 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresBurlington Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN
28 June 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersBETHUNE
17 June 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersBURLINGTON
15 June 2013Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreWest Cheyenne Fire Protection District (Kit Carson Volunteer Fire Department)UNKNOWN
11 June 2013Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreBurlington Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN
31 December 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersBETHUNE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Kit Carson County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Bethune: 4 unknowns. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown

Every working recorded in Kit Carson County

Storms near this place

60 of 98 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bethune in 98 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 64 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 9 tornado, 4 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1995Tornado (F1)Bethune$100,000Brief tornado heavily damaged farm shop and house and injured a horse. Spotter observed a funnel cloud shortly before and resident reported roaring sound. Vehicles, shed and windows were also damaged.
April 2007Tornado (EF0)Bethune$30,000Brief tornado produced damage to outbuildings at a farmstead on Road 37.5 and Road LL in extreme northern Kit Carson county. A 25x100 shed was lofted and flipped over. This resulted in damage to a hay bailer and two grain bins.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindBethune$5,000Center-pivot irrigation system overturned by high winds. Large tree branches down.
August 1993Thunderstorm WindBethune$5,000no account filed
July 2009Thunderstorm WindBethune$1,000An old building 10x10 ft by 20 ft high was blown over.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindBethune$800Garage door was blown off by the thunderstorm winds. Hail up to ping-pong ball size accompanied these winds.
June 2022HailBethune$500Several reports of dime to egg sized hail reported over a duration of ten minutes in the town of Bethune. Small tree limbs were reported to be damaged due to the hail.
April 2026HailBethune-Hail ranged from pea to ping pong ball size. This was south of Bethune between CR N and P on CR 40.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindBethune-A truck was overturned along Interstate 70 from the thunderstorm winds.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindBethune-Overturned pivot 15 miles SW of Bethune.
June 2024Flash FloodBethune-DOT has closed US 24 between Burlington and Stratton due to flooding. The worst flood waters were east of Bethune.
June 2024FloodBethune-DoT kept Highway 24 closed due to flooded roadways until the morning of the 9th.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindBethune-Kcobethu6 reported a 61 MPH gust.
July 2023HailBethune-Report received of hail up to pennies in size at location.
May 2023HailBethune-Report received of hail up to pennies in size at location. Time is radar estimated.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindBethune-Smaller tree limbs of an unspecified size were blown down and a pool cover of unknown size was tossed. These winds also occurred with golf ball sized hail.
June 2022HailBethune-Spotter reported heavy rainfall and hail up to a nickel in size at location.
June 2022HailBethune-Report received via social media of hail up to a penny in size at location.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindBethune-Tree limbs of an unspecified size were blown down. These winds occurred with hail up to golf ball in size.
June 2021Tornado (EFU)Bethune-A brief, unexpected landspout tornado developed between Bethune, CO and Interstate 70. No damage was reported with this tornado. This was reported via emergency management, law enforcement, storm chasers, NWS Employees, and the general public.
May 2021HailBethune-Storm chaser with KAKE reported golf ball sized hail at location.
May 2021HailBethune-Report received of quarter to golf ball sized hail at location.
July 2020HailBethune-A citizen observed hail up to penny in size due to a strong thunderstorm.
May 2019Funnel CloudBethune-Funnel cloud repeatedly formed and lowered but did not touch the ground.
July 2019HailBethune-The public reported via Facebook message crop damage from wind and hail twelve miles south of Stratton. The report also included a picture of hail stones on the ground about one inch in diameter.
July 2019HailBethune-A corn field was completely destroyed by large hail.
May 2018HailBethune-Estimated the time of the report from radar.
May 2018HailBethune-The hail ranged from half dollar to ping-pong ball in size.
April 2016HailBethune-Estimated time of report from radar. Hail ranged from dime to golf ball size from 4 PM MDT to 5:30 PM MDT.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindBethune-Estimated the time of the report from radar.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindBethune-A semi was blown over near Bethune due to thunderstorm winds. No injuries were reported.
August 2015HailBethune-Hail on I-70 has stopped traffic in both directions.
July 2015HailBethune-Relayed via social media.
May 2015Tornado (EF0)Bethune-A tornado was observed for about five minutes south of Stratton.
September 2013Flash FloodBethune-Six to eight inches of water was reported flowing over Highway 385 at County Road C. A semi truck almost lost control driving through the flooded section of road.
May 2011HailBethune-Spotter reported that hail was beginning to cover the ground.
April 2010Tornado (EF0)Bethune-Tornado report was relayed to NWS via Kit Carson County dispatch.
May 2010HailBethune-Spotter reported mostly smaller hail, but a few quarter sized stones.
May 2010HailBethune-Spotter reported quarter sized hail covered the ground.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindBethune-This was a late report from CoCoRaHS observer.
July 2010Flash FloodBethune-One foot of water was running over Highway 385 between mile markers 174-175. Law enforcement reported water was still half a foot deep at 11:18 pm MDT.
May 2010Tornado (EF0)Bethune-The tornado developed from a well-defined wall cloud and lasted approximately 4 minutes. The tornado remained over rural, open country with no known damage.
August 2009HailBethune-A peak wind gust of 49 mph was also measured.
August 2009HailBethune-Spotter reported some hail drifts, and a measured wind gust of 50 mph.
September 2009HailBethune-Spotter reported a lot of penny sized hail occurring along with heavy rainfall and winds estimated at 35 mph.
July 2008HailBethune-This report was received from the NSSL SHAVE project.
July 2008HailBethune-This report was received from the NSSL SHAVE project.
July 2007Tornado (EF0)Bethune-Tornado occurred near roads HH, 40. Over open fields...no known damage.
May 2005HailBethune-Hail covered the ground.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindBethune-Trees and large limbs down. Shingles blown off roofs, power out for 2 hours.
June 2004HailBethune-Hail covering the ground.
July 2001Flash FloodBethune-Several cars stranded from high water and water overflowed highway 24.
May 1998Tornado (F0)Bethune-Tornadic debris cloud observed by spotters.
October 1994Tornado (F2)Bethune-Tornado destroyed trailer home and quonset hut.
August 2019HailBethune-no account filed
May 2018HailBethune-no account filed
May 2018HailBethune-no account filed
May 2018HailBethune-no account filed
April 2016HailBethune-no account filed
August 2015HailBethune-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Kit Carson County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
West Burlington6.1 miles10
Burlington8.2 miles10
Stratton9.5 miles8
Tuttle (historical)14.1 miles11
Peconic14.7 miles10
Vona16.9 miles8
Seibert23.6 miles8
Flagler34.1 miles8

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on BethuneAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2275162The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 195124. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.