Critical Fire Weather in the Plains; Unseasonably Warm in the Southwest and Southern U.S.

Unseasonably warm temperatures continue through the weekend across the Southwest and southern U.S., with more than 100 record or near record maximum temperatures forecast through the rest of the week and over the weekend. Elevated to critical fire weather conditions will persist across the Plains and Southeast U.S. this weekend. Read More >

Overview

A tornado touched down just south of CO-470 in Highlands Ranch and lifted just west of I-25 near Lone Tree in Douglas county.

Tornado
Radar

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Highlands Ranch
Douglas County

Date	June 22, 2023
Time (Local)	324 pm to 350 pm
EF Rating	EF1
Est. Peak Winds	105 mph
Path Length	8.36 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	None
Summary: On Thursday afternoon, June 22, a tornado touched down just south of CO-470 in Douglas County, west of Lucent Blvd, impacting the city of Highlands Ranch. The tornado looks to have lifted just west of I-25 in Lone Tree, CO. The damage track, start/stop times, and EF- rating are the culmination of numerous photos, videos, and other reports. NWS Boulder`s survey team looked at the damage the morning of June 23 and found instances of high end EF-1 damage. There have also been several damage reports (mainly trees down) 1 mile or further south of the track, which are likely due to straight line winds from the rear flank downdraft, a typical occurrence with many tornadoes. Most all of the damage along the path and in the rear flank downdraft is EF-0, but at least 5 damage indicators of EF-1 were identified.

Track Map

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Radar

Peak Velocity was 105 kts at 334 pm MDT

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Critical Fire Weather in the Plains; Unseasonably Warm in the Southwest and Southern U.S.

Douglas County Tornado June 22, 2023