HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — It's been a busy day for the National Weather Service following an estimated EF-1 tornado which touched down in Highlands Ranch and traveled to Lone Tree Thursday before dissipating.
Officials like Greg Heavener, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service Boulder, were out surveying damage following the six-mile path left in the storm's wake.
Heavener said he's seen it all. He’s seen downed light poles, trees uprooted, and even missing shingles and siding.
“Thinking right now winds at around 95 top speed posted in the EF1 category,” said Heavener. “The pattern helps us understand how wide it was. The damage that occurred. Also, the length of the storm where it touched down and where it lifted.”
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Heavener said this tornado was on the ground for about ten minutes, a lengthy amount of time for this part of the state. He said this is a much more common sight on the Eastern Plains.
But how strange is it to see a tornado touch down in an area like this?
“It can happen anywhere, anytime as long as conditions are correct,” said Heavener.
He said the plains typically see on average around 35-50 tornadoes every year and there's a chance that we could easily get close to that 50 mark if these types of storms continue.
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What’s going on?
“I think the overall patterns are shifting, really a good part of climate change aspect,” said Heavener.
Denver7 talked to adjunct professor of atmospheric science at CU Boulder, Joshua Wurman, about this. He's currently in Illinois studying storms.
“If climate change means there are more humid conditions, more often then we could get more energetic thunderstorms closer to the more populated areas in Colorado,” said Wurman.
However, he said a lot is still unknown when it comes to our weather patterns.
"While we know the broad strokes of what's likely to happen with climate change, we don't know the local effects of what's going to happen with a changing climate,” said Wurman.
The key is to be prepared for anything.
“Having those ways to receive the watches and warnings via cell phone, NOAA weather radio, local TV broadcast or radio broadcast; have multiple ways in case one of those mediums isn't working that given day,” said Heavener.
