Colorado, 1996

Tornado in Colorado, July 13, 1996

July 13, 1996 · NWS BOU · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A fast moving tornado ripped a 12-mile path of destruction near Strasburg, in eastern Adams County. The tornado caused extensive structural damage to several galvanized metal grain silos, farm buildings and sheds in the area.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$220,000
Crop damage
$6.5 million
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.

A fast moving tornado ripped a 12-mile path of destruction near Strasburg, in eastern Adams County. The tornado caused extensive structural damage to several galvanized metal grain silos, farm buildings and sheds in the area. The roof of a two-story log home was completely torn off. The home received substantial damage from the wind and heavy rain that followed the tornado. Several other homes in the area sustained roof damage and a number of power poles were downed along Highway 36.

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 13 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Adams

When
July 13, 9:45 PM MST to 10:15 PM MST
Where
Adams County, Strasburg to 8 mi SE of Strasburg
Rating
F2
Path length
12 mi
Path width
440 yd
Property damage
$220,000
Crop damage
$6.5 million
Coordinates
39.800, -104.400

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 1996Warnings in Colorado, July 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5558284.