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F3 tornado in Washington County, Colorado

Tornado May 30, 1996 · Washington County, Colorado

Rating

0.5 mi

Path length

1,320 yd

Path width

$300K

Damage as recorded

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NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F3 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F3 meant severe damage: whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned; the scale paired it with winds of 158–206 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

A large tornado estimated to be 1/2 mile wide in diameter caused approximately $300,000 damage to a farmstead near Elba as it destroyed several grain silos, storage sheds and vehicles. Only the home on the farm was spared.

Began near Elba (39.9200, -103.1800).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5553565. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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