Three men who had dedicated themselves to furthering the knowledge and science of severe weather were among those killed Friday in a deadly twister that struck El Reno, Oklahoma. Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and their chase partner Carl Young, were well-known within the weather enthusiast community but also known to many Americans following their appearance on a television show. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
One of our favorite pastimes is simply watching the clouds. Colorado’s widely varying weather provides a stunning variety in almost every season. One photographer captured an amazing time lapse video of what he called “Bubbly Rocky Mountain Clouds.”
Watch the video below. Just beautiful!
Bubbly Rocky Mountain Clouds from David Harpe on Vimeo.
Storm chaser and IMAX film maker Sean Casey and his team captured what is arguably the most extraordinary video taken from inside a tornado ever. From inside the relative safety of their Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV), the team was able to enter a monstrous wedge tornado near Smith Center, Kansas yesterday. Read the rest of this story and watch the amazing video on Examiner.com
A fast moving jet stream coupled with quickly rising temperatures and unusually high humidity ripened conditions for what we now simply call the ‘Windsor tornado.’ Soon after 11:00am that morning a monstrous supercell thunderstorm could be seen erupting to the north of the Denver area.
Tornado warnings were soon issued by the National Weather Service and a Gilcrest police officer radioed, “We have a tornado on the ground!”
Indeed this was no ordinary Colorado tornado. This was to become an EF-3 monster three quarters of a mile wide and packing winds up to 165 mph, an event more associated with the plains of Oklahoma.
Over the course of 35 miles and 45 minutes the tornado ripped through the landscape. Making the event all the more unusual was its movement to the northwest, far different than typical tornadoes which move to the northeast.
Day became almost as dark as night as the ominous wedge approached Windsor. Hail as large as softballs began to rain down.
At 11:57 a.m. the town became ground zero.
Scared residents rushed for safety as nature’s most violent phenomena arrived. Power poles were snapped like matchsticks, semi-trailers were overturned like toy cars, and homes and buildings were reduced to their basic building materials.
Windsor resident Jill Gallagher told the Windsor Beacon this week of her huddling in her basement with her daughters as the twister struck. After it passed, “That’s when I turned and looked up my stairwell, and that’s when I knew something had majorly happened.”
Gallagher said her stairs were blocked and she was staring up at blue sky instead of her home’s ceiling.
The power of the storm was fully evident in the toll on life and property.
One man was killed west of Greeley at Missile Silo Park Campground and 78 people were injured. Property damages totaled $193.5 million as nearly 300 homes were destroyed or significant damaged and another 850 sustained less substantial damage.
Lying on the western edge of the infamous Tornado Alley, twisters are quite commonplace in the Centennial State. From 1950 to 2012 there have been 1,983 tornadoes scattered across the state. Most though occur on the eastern plains, well away from the higher terrain of the west and the more populous Front Range. Only 20 of those have attained F3 strength.
Today, five years after that deadly day, a drive through Windsor would yield few signs of the tornado that caused so much devastation. The residents however are quick to remember it, particularly in light of the recent deadly tornadoes in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
The National Weather Service has completed its initial damage survey of the area near Moore, Oklahoma, where a deadly tornado struck yesterday. Its assessment pegs the twister as an EF-5 packing winds in excess of 200 mph – the highest rating possible on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Only one percent of all tornadoes achieve this strength. Including yesterday’s twister, there have been 59 in the U.S. since 1950. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
As residents of Moore, Oklahoma wake this morning they are faced with the seemingly insurmountable task of recovering from the deadly tornado that struck yesterday. For one Oklahoma woman, the recovery will be a little bit easier as her dog was discovered alive, buried under the rubble during a television interview. Read the rest of this heartwarming story on Examiner.com.
The tornado that ripped through Moore, Oklahoma yesterday has claimed at least 91 lives and caused hundreds of injuries. As the death toll mounts, the twister will go down in history as one of the deadliest in U.S. history.
Forecasters had warned that Monday would bring dangerous severe weather, the third of a series of days in the past week that had been deadly. Warnings went out as the tornado formed near Newcastle and began its deadly trek to the northeast.
The minutes were crucial to saving lives but as the storm grew in ferocity, even the most robust shelters were proven incapable of withstanding the onslaught.
Click here for a complete update including stunning video and photos of the devastation.
Scenes of devastation were being played out south of Oklahoma City Monday evening in the wake of a massive tornado that ripped through the suburb of Moore. Packing winds up to 200 mph, the twister tore through the landscape leaving little but rubble behind. At least 51 people have been confirmed dead and the death toll is expected to climb. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
Severe weather takes to the forefront in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. We see many historical flooding events that were commonplace in the late 19th / early 20th century before controls were put in place. Almost everyone will recall the Windsor tornado, an EF3 monster that struck the town five years ago.
From the National Weather Service:
18-19
In 2011…a severe thunderstorm in central Adams County produced large hail and heavy rainfall on the 18th. Large hail from 1 inch to 1 3/4 inches in diameter…was reported in Commerce City…2 miles south-southeast of federal heights…Northglenn…and 2 miles south of Thornton.
In Commerce City…the storm uprooted trees and knocked out power lines. A carport was lifted off the ground and struck the power lines overhead. Heavy rain…from 1.0 to 1.5 inches fell in less than 2 hours in Commerce City and near Brighton. The combination of hail and strong winds broke windows in Northglenn.
In the foothills…moderate to heavy snow showers developed overnight. Storm totals included: 10.5 inches at Gold Hill…9.5 inches…3 miles west of Jamestown; 9 inches at Lake Eldora; with 6 inches… 11 miles southwest of Gilpin and 4 miles east-northeast of Nederland. At Denver International Airport…total rainfall over the 2-day period totaled 1.71 inches.
In addition…a peak wind gust to 37 mph was recorded on the 18th.
18-20
In 1915…3.9 inches of snow fell in the city. The estimated amount of snow that melted as it fell was 6.2 inches which would have totaled an estimated 10.1 inches of snowfall. Precipitation totaled 1.03 inches. North winds were sustained to 32 mph on the 18th. Low temperatures dipped to 25 degrees on both the 18th and 20th…establishing record minimums for both dates.
In 1988…prolonged heavy rainfall drenched metro Denver. The event began when heavy thunderstorms on the 18th caused some street flooding and power outages…followed by steady rain on the 19th and 20th. Rain amounts across metro Denver totaled 3 to 4 inches. Rainfall totaled 3.71 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 39 mph on the 20th. Four to eight inches of snow fell in the foothills above 7 thousand feet.
19
In 1927…southeast winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 44 mph.
In 1956…a thunderstorm wind gust to 54 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1969…hail stones to 1 inch in diameter were measured in Arvada and Aurora. Some minor damage was reported. Pea to marble size hail fell in Westminster.
In 1972…a tornado was reported by aircraft about 5 to 10 miles east of Parker.
In 1988…lightning started a fire at a house in the Denver suburb of greenwood village…causing 2 thousand dollars in damage.
In 1991…strong thunderstorms over east metro Denver produced wind gusts of 56 to 60 mph. The strong winds downed power lines…trees…and fences at some locations in Aurora. Thunderstorm outflow winds gusted to 60 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1994…severe thunderstorms rumbled across metro Denver. The storms produced wind gusts averaging 65 mph and hail up to dime size. Wind gusts to 77 mph were recorded in Brighton. Numerous trees and power poles were downed by the winds. One power pole fell onto spectators at a high school graduation ceremony in Commerce City…injuring 6 people. In Fort Lupton…trees fell onto 2 parked cars… Knocking out the windshields. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported in Littleton. A thunderstorm wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1995…a slow moving tornado…which was mainly discernible by its dust and debris cloud…was spotted 2 miles northeast of Denver International Airport or about 10 miles northwest of Bennett. No damage was reported.
In 2007…lightning struck a 33-ft statue of Jesus at Mother Cabrini Shrine…in the foothills west of Golden. The blast broke off one of the statue’s arms and a hand…and also damaged a foot. It cost an estimated $200000 to repair.
In 2009…lightning struck the roof of a residence in Highlands Ranch. The home was not a total loss…but the fire caused extensive damage.
In 2010…a thunderstorm produced hail up to 7/8 inch in diameter in Thornton.
19-20
In 1864…a devastating major flash flood occurred on the normally dry and sandy Cherry Creek in Denver. The flood was caused by heavy thunderstorm rainfall and hail over the palmer ridge to the south of the city in both the Cherry Creek and plum creek basins. Nineteen deaths occurred along the South Platte River and Cherry Creek in Denver. The torrent swept cattle and sheep along with large trees and houses before it washing out several bridges…and moving large structures from their foundations. All city records were destroyed when city hall washed away. The rocky mountain news building…built on stilts in the middle of the creek…was totally destroyed by the raging waters…which were as deep as 5 feet on the morning of the 20th. Once the flood waters receded…much sand and gravel was left behind. Property damage from the flood was estimated at nearly one million dollars. This was the first major flood of record in the city.
Continue reading May 19 to May 25: This Week in Denver Weather History
Up until yesterday the United States had been experiencing one of its quietest tornado seasons on record. That all changed when Mother Nature unleashed a withering display of tornadoes on north Texas near Dallas / Fort Worth. Read the rest of this story and watch amazing video of one of the twisters on Examiner.com
