Highlands Ranch tornado may have been EF-1, National Weather Service says
The National Weather Service has issued a preliminary report for the tornado damage in Highlands Ranch. The NWS says the estimate is that Thursday's tornado may have been an EF-1 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The violent storm traveled a total of 6.3 miles across northern Douglas County crossing from west Highlands Ranch to Lone Tree. Estimated peak wind is 97. But, that number may go up after NWS surveys damage in person on Friday. The width of the damage path is estimated at 1/4 mile wide.
In addition, to the tornado in Highlands Ranch a second tornado touched down near Payton northeast of Colorado Springs.
Thursday's storm left a destructive path of hail from Evergreen to Elbert County. Morrison had 2 inch diameter hail the size of eggs. Littleton into north Highlands Ranch had ping pong ball size hail.
If the tornado, wind and hail weren't enough the storm also soaked the south metro area with flooding rains. In some spots as much as 1 to 4 inches of rainfall hit during Thursday's storm.
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