Front Range Hiking Trail Closed After Damage From Possible Tornado
DENVER (CBS4) - A popular spot for Front Range hikers will remain closed until further notice after a significant weather event Tuesday.
It happened during the early afternoon at Devils Head Trail and Tower, located about an hour southwest of Denver.
"At this time we're not sure how long the closure will be in place," said Barb Timock with the U.S. Forest Service in Pueblo.
A view from Copter4 shows a large area of trees knocked down which was first reported to the U.S. Forest Service around 3:30 p.m. on July 21.
An image from CBS4's Doppler 4000 shows there was potentially some rotation in the vicinity of Devils Head just over an hour before the damage was reported.
The National Weather Service office in Boulder plans to investigate the damage to determine if it was a blowdown or caused by a tornado.
Approximately six acres of aspen, spruce and fir trees were knocked down. Crews from the Pike Hotshots are working to remove the debris.
Devils Head is located at an elevation of roughly 9,700 feet in the southwest portion of Douglas County.
While high altitude tornadoes have been documented in Colorado they are rare. A blowdown is also a rare event in the Rocky Mountains but they occasionally do happen.
One of Colorado's most famous blowdowns occurred about 18 years ago in Routt County during a severe winter storm.
While the Front Range was buried with snow between October 23-25, 1997, high winds were hammering areas near the Continental Divide.
Over 20,000 acres of forest was destroyed as winds topped 100 mph. At the time it was the third largest known forest blowdown in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Read more about that historic weather event by clicking here.
Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.