 |
|
|
A huge tornado touched ground about 50 miles north of Denver today overturning vehicles and wrecking buildings, The Associated Press reported. The twister was confirmed by the Weld County Sheriff's Office. It hit the ground near Gilchrest, Colorado Thursday.
Tornado warnings for Weld, Larimer and Boulder counties were issued by the National Weather Service (NWS). The residents of those counties are strongly advised to seek shelter as soon as possible.
The warnings were extended for Larimer County and Boulder County until 1:00 p.m. MDT, said Chris Tomer, a FOX 31 meteorologist.
Fortunately, so far, nobody was injured by the very powerful winds which damaged buildings, trees and knocked down electricity in Windsor, according to the AP. However, it is not clear whether the F3, F4 or larger tornado hit the city directly or the high winds of the storm did the damage.
The powerful tempest was accompanied by 70 miles winds and numerous lightning strikes.
Two tractor-trailer rigs were overturned by the tornado about 10 miles southeast of Windsor, said Weld County sheriff's spokeswoman Margie Martinez.
"It's disastrous here," said a FOX 31 photojournalist, Larry Bases. He also said he witnessed a pickup truck on Highway 85 being picked up of the ground and dropped not far from him. Authorities closed the highway and sent numerous emergency crews at the scene.
According to the NWS, the twister is on his way to Fort Collins, a city of 130,000.
Authorities are currently assessing the damage.
© 2007 - 2008 - eFluxMedia