Of the four tornadoes confirmed to have touched down in eastern Colorado on Sunday, three were abnormally strong for the state, according to National Weather Service meteorologists.
Two EF2 tornadoes hit opposite sides of Bennett while another EF2 tore up part of Elkhorn Ranch in Elbert County and an EF1 blew across Manila Village in Arapahoe County, according to a weather service preliminary damage survey released Wednesday.
Colorado has seen about 45 tornadoes annually in the past 30 years. Only 2.9% of those have been ranked EF2, an average of fewer than two each year.
EF3 tornadoes are even rarer, at 1.2%, and EF4 and EF5 storms haven’t been documented in the state in 30 years, weather service meteorologist David Barjenbruch said.
The two EF2 tornadoes in Bennett traveled a combined 9.71 miles between 1:30 p.m. and 1:55 p.m. Sunday, according to the survey.
One that hit the west side of Bennett reached wind speeds of up to 125 mph and was 600 feet wide, weather service meteorologists said in the report. The other tornado, on the east side of the town, topped out at about 112 mph and 1,200 feet across.
The two tornadoes were separate storms and on the ground at the same time, meteorologists said.
Together, the tornado duo damaged or destroyed 17 buildings around Bennett, including six homes and a solar farm, according to Adams County sheriff’s officials.
The third EF2 tornado that tore through a mile of Elkhorn Ranch was about 150 feet wide with wind speeds of up to 125 mph, meteorologists said.
That storm damaged an additional 19 buildings, according to the Elizabeth Fire Protection District.
In Arapahoe County, the tornado didn’t reach the required wind speeds classified as an EF2, according to the report. The EF1 was on the ground near Manila Village for about 10 minutes and 2.53 miles.
Meteorologists said wind speeds inside the 225-foot-wide tornado topped out at 95 mph.
EF2 tornadoes reach wind speeds of 111 mph to 135 mph and are marked by “considerable damage,” according to weather service meteorologists.
Damage from EF2 tornadoes often 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, meteorologists said.
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