A grand total of seven tornadoes touched down in eastern Colorado last week during two separate storms, according to the National Weather Service.
One EF1 and three EF2 tornadoes tore across parts of Adams, Arapahoe and Elbert counties on Sunday, May 18, destroying or damaging dozens of buildings.
Another EF2 and EF1 touched down on Friday, but the strength of a third tornado spotted during that storm remains unknown, according to a preliminary damage survey released Saturday by the weather service.
“Most of the observed damage was snapped power poles and trees,” meteorologists stated in the report. “One single-family residence sustained EF1 damage, but there were no injuries reported.”
A wave of golf-ball-sized to baseball-sized hail also hit the Eastern Plains during the Friday storm, according to the report. One spot in northern Washington County reported 3-inch hail, roughly the size of a teacup.
Friday’s EF2 tornado touched down at about 5:37 p.m. near the Prewitt Reservoir in Washington County, the report stated.
The 1,200-foot-wide tornado was on the ground for about 20 minutes, reached wind speeds of 118 mph and traveled 8.72 miles. According to the report, it damaged one home and snapped multiple power poles.
An EF1 tornado was spotted near Willard in Logan County just before 5:10 p.m. Friday, according to the report.
Meteorologists said that tornado traveled 10.68 miles, was 300 feet across and reached wind speeds of 100 mph. It tore the roof off of two silos in the area.
No damage was documented by the third tornado, which made it impossible for meteorologists to determine how strong it was, according to the report.
The weather service confirmed the tornado’s touchdown using a video from a storm chaser and believes it was on the ground southeast of Akron in Washington County for three minutes Friday evening, the report stated.
On average, Colorado sees about 45 tornadoes a year. The vast majority of those tornadoes — 85.8%, according to the weather service — aren’t able to be rated because they happen in rural areas and don’t cause measurable damage.
Only 2.9% of Colorado’s tornadoes between 1995 and 2024 were ranked EF2, an average of fewer than two each year. This year, Colorado has already seen four.
EF2 tornadoes reach wind speeds of 111 mph to 135 mph and are marked by “considerable damage,” according to weather service meteorologists.
That includes roofs torn off of well-constructed homes, buildings shifting on their foundations, destroyed mobile homes, cars tossed across long distances and snapped or uprooted trees and powerlines.
Winds inside EF1 tornadoes reach 86 mph to 110 mph. Any tornado with slower wind speeds is considered an EF0.
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