Five people suffered minor injuries and several structures were significantly damaged after one of several tornadoes tore through the City of Wray in Yuma County Saturday afternoon.
Three homes and one business saw significant damage and US 385 northbound was closed heading out of Wray due to the damage and downed power lines.
Several tornado watches developed into warnings just after 1:30 p.m. starting in Elbert and Arapahoe counties and going east to Morgan and Weld counties, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.
The first tornado to touch ground was reported two miles west of Wiggins in Morgan County at about 3:03 p.m.
Velocity signature of Wiggins tornado on the ground. #cowx pic.twitter.com/DIJcVnPQDY
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) May 7, 2016
The tornado tore through a shred filled with cars south of Wiggins, according to Denver7 reporter Kristen Skovira. It traveled 8.8 miles, causing winds between 115 to 120 mph. The tornado was categorized as an EF-2 tornado, according to NWS officials. Fortunately, no one was injured.
A shed filled with cars destroyed south of Wiggins @DenverChannel #cowx pic.twitter.com/GWTRcKrBkx
— Kristen Skovira (@KristenSkovira) May 7, 2016
A second tornado was confirmed just 35 minutes later, at about 3:38 p.m., in Keota, an area inside the Pawnee National Grassland. That tornado was moving northeast going 35 mph, the National Weather Service in Boulder said.
MORE: Current weather alerts | LIVE RADAR
It wasn't until about 6 p.m. when a massive tornado was visible again. The path of the tornado was about a half-mile wide and about eight miles long going north of Wray on US 385 and County Road 37. It was also an EF-2 tornado, according to the NWS. That tornado damaged homes and businesses up until County Road 42.
VIDEO: Extreme close-range #Tornado touch down earlier this evening just north of Wray, CO! @reedtimmerTVN #cowx pic.twitter.com/MNF3LT7Gqo
— Maria Timmer (@ScienceByMaria) May 8, 2016
The tornado watch for most parts of the Eastern Plains was in effect until 7 p.m. The Denver Metro area was not affected by the rain and gusts that developed through the afternoon.
PHOTOS: Tornados as seen by viewers | Damage caused after the tornado
In total, there were 12 reports of tornados and 24 reports of hail across the state of Colorado, according to the National Weather Service.
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