Tornadoes Touch Down Southeast of Denver

By Benny M.

Image taken of a destroyed building in West Bennett, during Storm Survey, courtesy of the NWS

May 17th and 18th saw pretty extreme weather conditions. There was large hail all over the state, with the largest reported being 2 inch hailstones in Kit Carson County, and there were high winds around the state, peaking at 70 MPH in both Arapahoe County and Sedgwick County (according to a KDVR Article). Sunday the 18th, however, brought four tornadoes between 1:07 pm and 1:55 pm, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). While these caused large damage to towns and buildings, there were thankfully no reported deaths or injuries. The following information is sourced from the aforementioned NWS article, which provided images, radar, tracks, and important statistics about all four tornadoes.

Image captured by Sirlin John, courtesy of the NWS

Image captured by Caryn Hill, courtesy of the NWS

Image captured by Brandon Murphy, courtesy of the NWS

Image captured by Brandon Murphy, courtesy of the NWS

Image captured by Caryn Hill, courtesy of the NWS

All images in slideshow courtesy of the NWS. Photographer credit on each slide.

The first tornado was rated an EF-2. It lasted about 5 minutes (1:07 pm to 1:12 pm), and travelled 0.9 miles in northwest Elbert County and Arapahoe County. It had a maximum width of 50 yards, and with peak wind speeds of 125 MPH. This tornado was described as “an uncharacteristically strong landspout.”

The second tornado, the weakest of the four at EF-1, lasted about 9 minutes (1:23 pm to 1:32 pm) and travelled 2.7 miles in Arapahoe County. It had a maximum width of 75 yards, and had peak winds of 95 MPH. Both this tornado and the third tornado (West Bennett) were associated with a thunderstorm, which is called a supercell.

The third tornado was rated an EF-2, lasting 16 minutes (1:30 pm to 1:46 pm). It travelled the farthest: 5.1 miles across the Arapahoe County and Adams County border, just west of Bennett. It had a maximum width of 200 yards, and peak winds at 125 MPH. From 1:40 pm to 1:46 pm, there were two separate tornadoes on the ground near Bennett.

The fourth and final tornado was also an EF-2, lasting 15 minutes (1:40 pm to 1:55 pm). It travelled 4.6 miles in Adams County, just northeast of Bennett. It was the widest, at 400 yards maximum width and with peak winds of 112 MPH. Like the Elbert County tornado, the NWS also described this as “an uncharacteristically strong landspout.”