Highlands Ranch tornado timeline | Large tornado in Highlands Ranch leaves 6-mile path of damage as

Highlands Ranch Tornado

(HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo.) — Tornado reports came in from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, just south of Denver on Thursday, June 22. Severe weather has been wreaking havoc across the state all day.

At 3:48 p.m., Denver's FOX31 reported that, per our sister station. On Thursday, the National Weather Service in Denver reported that a "large and extremely dangerous tornado was located over Lone Tree," which is 13 miles south of Denver. The tornado was traveling in an easterly direction at a speed of 15 mph. The current situation is quite perilous. "RUN FOR COVER!"

The DC Sheriff of Douglas County released photographs of the destruction in the communities of Highlands Ranch and Parker. We are not completely safe yet, so please stay inside till the situation improves.

As part of a larger stretch of rainy and furious weather that has impacted the state for several weeks, the tornado was a portion of severe thunderstorms that battered the Denver region for a second straight day.

South Metro Fire Rescue spokesperson Eric Hurst claimed at a press conference at 6 o'clock that they have not found "what we would call significant damage to any buildings." There were 116 calls for assistance between 3 and 5 p.m., he added, and most of them were for fallen trees, damaged roofs, and probable lightning strikes. If you smell gas or see sparks near electrical boxes, he recommended to phone 911.

Russell Danielson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, estimated that the tornado touched down around Lucent Boulevard and Broadway and stayed on the ground for 15 to 20 minutes. According to Danielson, the tornado didn't spend its entire time on the ground. The estimated length of the damage path is 6.3 miles.

On Friday, workers will arrive to survey the area and pinpoint the spot where the tornado made landfall, as well as measure its length of journey and intensity. So, Danielson said.

Damage assessments are "the only way we can rate tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita scale," he explained. So, it is a matter of patience. Due to the stormy conditions on Thursday, we are unable to dispatch a staff to the location.

Tornadoes were ranked on the Enhanced Fujita scale according to their wind speeds and the amount of damage they inflicted. Tornadoes with an EF-0 rating have winds of 65 to 85 mph, while those with an EF-5 rating have winds of more than 200 mph.