Colorado Tornado's

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

Not to scare anyone, but just to show how Colorado weather is, we had a massive storm cell move through North Eastern Colorado this morning that brought tornados's that cause so far three deathes, and major damage to Winsdor which never gets tornado's. Laramie just 60 miles north West of ft Collins was also hit. The moutains are getting snow dumped on them. If Colorado gets tornado's it is usually east of Greeley towards Ft Morgan and Sterling and southwards towards Limon which is east of Denver.

I have a close GF who lives and works in Wins=dsor and I hope she is OK. I am sure she is, but I called her to check in on her.

This was not the "normal" kind of Colorado tornado as it was BIG and wide. Normally they are wispy and snake like and do not stay on the ground long. This one did

SO Looks like Colorado weather is starting off with a big bang. Beprepared for anything this faire season in Colorado.

[Adriana Rose]

I just hope that everybody that is in the extened Fair family is ok.

If I remember there are a few folks that live in north east Colorado.


As for the crazy fair weather I already have the parka packed! I am nt gonna freeze my toosh off at night!

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

From what I am told by my mother, my brother-in-law had two workers from the company he owns in Windsor. They are OK, but the heavy equipment they had in the area were damaged. I found that a friend and his wife have family that live in Windsor. They are OK, but his wife's familes house was 1 block away from where the tornado hit. Their house is OK, but had severed debrie in their yard and the fence is gone.

Lots of damage, and little harm to human life.

[Mistress Charlotte]

Amy's up that direction.   

Zoe, Mistress Kate and my Son were in Greeley about 1 week ago.

[Bodharan]

From the news reports here (in California), it seems as though it was an unusually massive tornado.  Lots of damage, but only one fatality and only a few injuries.  I guess that everyone was pretty fortunate.

Bodharan

[Blushing]

Unusual in size and location ... I'm very very glad so few lives for lost.  But any loss is tragic.

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

For Colorado or ANY state it was HUGE. They were saying 200 MPH winds in it. 6 or 7 tornado's all in the same area. Typically Colorado has small snake or whispy "twisters that jump and bounce and don't last long. This cell produced a massive amout with strong winds and golf ball sized Hail.

This part of Colorado also usually does not get tornado's and once again when we do, they hit in open area's and last only a few minutes doing little to no damage.

The man who lost his life was in an RV at a Missle Silo camp ground south of town. The RV looked like a flat bed truck and was tossed a ways away from the camp ground.

Sadly many people lost there homes and some business, but luckily not many injuries or fatalites which could have happend at this time of the day.

The mountains got snow so this made it very unusual, all types of Colorado weather all over the state all in one day. So as I started this with, be prepared for ANYTHING when you go to the Colorado festival

[Zoë]

Thankfully Greeley was a bit of a distance away from the big one, but it's still pretty close.  I was at work when it all happened and one of my friends living in Greeley said the weather there was bad, but no tornadoes there.  Only out on Highway 34 closer to Windsor.  The weather never really changed down in Denver though, it was cloudy/rainy/windy off and on for most of the day, so it didn't seem like anything was amiss.  Funny enough, my mom (who is in Florida right now) called my dad here at the house and said she had seen it on the news, she was like "There's a tornado!" and he was like "There is?" 

UNC has opened up some of the dorms to offer up temporary housing to anyone displaced by the storm.

[Adriana Rose]

Just as long as you guys are safe!

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

As far as I know those of us that are regulars... or even visitors on the RF Forum were all safe. Greeley was closer than Loveland where I live, but only the far western side of Greeley (Business) was hit.

Tornado's are a HUGE fear of mine as I grew up in Eastern Colorado and stayed with my grandparents in the summer. Every summer it never failed that in the evening we had to make two or three dashes for the storm celler.

I have personally been in 1 tornado when I was 3 living in that same town my grandparents lived. It only broke windows.

So yes I can easily saw we are all safe that visit.

Thanks for the concern and lets hope those that lost hmes recover quickly

[a_chromatic_sea]

I live in Fort Collins, but that day I was in Denver for my sister's high school graduation.... however, I had the living daylights scared out of me because I kept getting text messages on my phone from the CSU Emergency Text Messaging System (set up in case of gunmen, etc) about how "CSU students and faculty should prepare to seek shelter due to a tornado". Talk about stressful! Oi!

Thankfully it didn't even get into Fort C, and hopefully Windsor will be able to recover speedily.

[Zoë]

I got those notifications through e-mail from UNC, because we're not cool enough to have the text-message system yet.  One e-mail was like "a warning has been issued, please seek shelter."  And then a little while later there was another one that said "The warning has expired, you may now come out of your shelter."

  Like I'm really going to be checking my e-mail from a basement or a storm shelter?  Yeah that was really efficient guys.  Oy.