TornadoLookup

Home / Colorado / Delta

F1 tornado in Delta County, Colorado

Tornado September 11, 2002 · Delta County, Colorado

F1
Rating
8.0 mi
Path length
60 yd
Path width
$25K
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 60 yards (0.03 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

The wider storm

The tornado traveled north-northeast across mostly open country and was observed by numerous eyewitnesses in Delta County. The tornado crossed US Highway 50 and proceeded across the west end of Hawkins Field Airport. A house in the northwest area of the airport was struck. The house sustained numerous broken windows and other damage. Many shingles were ripped off the roof, and some became impaled into the siding. Airborne rocks and other debris also became embedded into the siding and interior walls. Furniture inside the house was damaged by flying debris. The railing on the deck was ripped off. A number of items were blown out of the house and a shed adjacent to the house was destroyed. Property from the house and shed were found up to a quarter mile away from the house.

Began near Delta (38.6833, -108.1500).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5320194. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.