Vernon, Colorado
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Wray census division. It lies in ZIP code area 80755. The Survey maps it on the Vernon quadrangle. 38 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,937 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresVernon grew from 29 to 38 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 29 | |
| 2020 | 38 | +9 (+31%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 8 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1954 USGS Limon quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1957 USGS Limon quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Limon quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Vernon quadrangle1:24000
- 1983 USGS Bonny Reservoir quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
3 since 2000Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Vernon between 2000 and 2015, burning about 3 acres in total. 1 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/undetermined | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 August 2000 | Natural | under an acre | Northwest District, Craig | BISON |
| 27 November 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | not named |
| 8 October 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wray Volunteer Fire Department (Yuma County Fire Protection District) | UNKNOWN |
Storms near this place
60 of 98 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Vernon in 98 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 75 hail, 20 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 funnel cloud. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF1) | Vernon | $380,000 | A tornado developed about 6 miles SW of Vernon and tracked southeast, dissipating just west of Beecher Island. Winds estimated at 100 mph in the Rear Flank downdraft just south of the tornado also caused extensive damage. forty eight utility poles were downed, three irrigation pivots were overturned, a barn was destroyed, several trailer homes were damaged, and the roof of the small auditorium in Beecher Island was heavily damaged. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | $2,000 | A possible microburst blew down a tree, breaking a window and causing damage to house siding. A chimney was also blown off a house. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | $500 | Power pole partially bent over near Road Z and Road 19. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | $200 | Anchored tent ripped apart. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Vernon | - | Observer reported hail ranging from nickel to golf ball in size. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Vernon | - | Trained spotter estimated nickel sized hail. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Trained spotter estimated wind gusts around 50 to 60 MPH. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Vernon | - | Spotter reported dime to penny side hail at the location. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Vernon | - | Report of 2.5 inch diameter hail. |
| August 2024 | Tornado (EFU) | Vernon | - | Storm chaser relayed a photo to us of a shed in Vernon that appeared to be thrown to the west about 75 feet. The direction of the storms were to the southeast. Tornado rated EF-U because we were un able to determine how structurally sound the shed was before the tornado occurred. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Vernon | - | Public report via social media of quarter hail 1/2 mile north of Vernon, CO. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Vernon | - | Up to nickel sized hail reported over a duration of 15 minutes that ended at the time of the report. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Vernon | - | Spotter reported hail up to pennies in size hail at location. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Vernon | - | The hail ranged from ping pong to golf ball in size. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Vernon | - | The hail ranged from quarter to half-dollar in size. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Vernon | - | Nickel sized hail reported at location. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Vernon | - | Golf ball size hail reported just north of Vernon. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Vernon | - | The hail started out as quarter in size then increased to ping pong ball size. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Spotter reported an estimated 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust at location. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Vernon | - | Storm total rainfall was 1.23 inches. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Vernon | - | Spotter reported hail ranging from a pea to a quarter in size falling at location. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Spotter reported a measured 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust on personal weather station at location. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Vernon | - | Pea to dime size hail reported at location. Time is radar estimated. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Vernon | - | Trained spotter observed various sized hail from pea to penny in size. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Vernon | - | Public citizen observed nickel sized hail with winds gusting up to 40 mph. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Vernon | - | A public citizen reported hail slightly larger than golf ball sized that was on the ground for approximately 10 minutes before being estimated for size. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | A trained spotter observed an estimated 60 mph wind as a thunderstorm moved over the location. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Estimated wind gusts of 70 MPH occurred. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | An estimated wind gust of 60 MPH occurred. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Tree limbs were snapped with a diameter of 3 to 5 inches. |
| June 2016 | Hail | Vernon | - | Hail up to the size of nickels fell. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Vernon | - | Spotter reported a lot of hail covering the ground. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Spotter was located near tornado as it passed south of Vernon. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Five inch diameter branches down. |
| July 2006 | Hail | Vernon | - | Penny-sized hail along highway C. |
| August 2005 | Hail | Vernon | - | Penny sized hail was accompanied by estimated 50 mph winds. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Vernon | - | Hail covered the ground. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Numerous 2-inch limbs down. |
| August 2004 | Hail | Vernon | - | Minor flooding in fields. |
| August 2004 | Hail | Vernon | - | Hail has continued for 20 minutes. Vehicle windshield broken. |
| August 2004 | Hail | Vernon | - | House shingles damaged. |
| September 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Four sections of irrigation pivot blown over. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Numerous utility poles and irrigation sprinklers damaged. Grain bins blown over, including a 30,000 bushel steel bin. Damage significant, but unknown. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Vernon | - | Accompanied by 60 to 70 mph wind. Lasted 10 minutes. |
| September 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vernon | - | Spotter estimated 60 mph wind. |
| September 1997 | Hail | Vernon | - | Hail accompanied by 40 to 50 mph wind. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Vernon | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beecher Island | 8.6 miles | 10 | |
| Wray | 10.2 miles | 9 | |
| Robb | 11.2 miles | 7 | |
| Heartstrong | 13.9 miles | 8 | |
| Laird | 14.6 miles | 9 | |
| Eckley | 14.8 miles | 8 | |
| Armel | 15.1 miles | 10 | |
| Idalia | 16.8 miles | 8 |
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 Vernon | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q7922034 | The 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 183063. 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.
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.




