F2 Tornado — Colfax, New Mexico

1996-07-25 · near Cimarron, Colfax, New Mexico

Wider weather episode

A tornado destroyed 11 homes and 7 business in Cimarron. Another 43 structures were damaged. Among the building destroyed was the Post Office which was sliced by the air-borne frame of a mobile home. Of the 5 injuries, 2 were serious, requiring hospitalization. All injuries occurred in mobile homes or portable buildings without permanent foundations. A funnel cloud, which went unreported, was observed by deputies for about 20 minutes. The tornado developed as convection moved over a horizontal shear axis created by southeast surface winds and northwest winds aloft above the foothills located just northwest of Cimarron.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.5000, -104.9200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5568323. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.