WeatherFanatics: Damaging Tornadoes Spotted In Colorado; Flood Emergency Issued Near Boulder

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Damaging Tornadoes Spotted In Colorado; Flood Emergency Issued Near Boulder

Sean Breslin
Published: June 5,2015

Scott Oliver knew something was horribly wrong when he saw a piece of a house flung into the air near his home Thursday evening in Boulder County, Colorado.
"When the roof blew by, we knew it was serious," he told the Longmont Times-Call. As the tornado came closer, Oliver noted that a neighbor was stuck outside and had to dive into a ditch to avoid the tornado.
It was one of several reported tornadoes to strike Colorado Thursday night, and the tornado Oliver experienced was far from the only problem in Boulder County. Flood emergencies were also issued by authorities when the floodwaters covered streets and threatened to invade homes.
"A surface low located over northwest Kansas forced air up and over the Front Range of the Rockies, providing the initial convergence and lift needed to produce strong thunderstorms," said weather.com meteorologist Chrissy Warrilow. "In addition, an upper-level low located over central California generated the extra lift as well as the dynamic energy needed to sustain the tornadic thunderstorms in Colorado.”
(FORECAST: Severe Weather Tracker)
KUSA-TV reported at least three homes were damaged by the reported tornado near Berthoud, but the town also some of the heaviest rains during the storm. National Weather Service reports suggested as many as 7 or 8 inches of rain fell in the area Thursday night, and a flash flood emergency was issued late Thursday night in parts of Boulder and Larimer counties.
"Move to higher ground now," the NWS bulletin said. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order."

The Red Cross opened an evacuation center at the Berthoud Community Center, KDVR.com reported. After the rains subsided, the Boulder Office of Emergency Management said via its Twitter page that several roads were closed Thursday night.

Reported Tornadoes Destroy Homes

Six homes were damaged in Elbert County as a pair of twisters were reported in the town of Simla, according to the Elbert County Office of Emergency Management.
The storms caused additional damage along the Boulder and Larimer County line, according to the Denver Post. In other areas, hail fell at a rapid rate, and residents broke out snow shovels to clear roadways from the large accumulations.
According to the Associated Press, there were no injuries directly related to the reported tornadoes. Heavy rainfall prevented officials from surveying the damage in some areas Thursday night, so they will head back to the damaged homes to investigate further on Friday.
Here are photos and accounts of the storms from social media.

View image on Twitter