Thunderstorm Wind, Bent
- When
- August 31, 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Bent County, 20 mi S of Las Animas
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.780, -103.220
A brief damaging wind lifted a 9-foot camper and threw it about 30 feet.
Damaging Winds in Colorado, August 31, 1997
3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $80,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
The radar
The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:58 UTC.
Event by event
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Bent
- When
- August 31, 5:10 PM MST
- Where
- Bent County, 2 mi S of Mc Clave
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Coordinates
- 38.100, -102.850
A damaging microburst wind brought down large tree limbs, broke windows, and did minor damage to several campers and motor homes at Hud's Campground.
Thunderstorm Wind, Bent
- When
- August 31, 5:15 PM MST
- Where
- Bent County, 1 mi S of Mc Clave
- Measured
- 100 kt (115 mph)
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $80,000
- Coordinates
- 38.120, -102.850
A damaging microburst wind, estimated to be at least 115 mph in strength struck a mobile home, rolling it a few hundred yards. The intense damage was 50 to 75 yards across. Twin brothers, Dan and Denton Cochell were in the mobile home. Dan was thrown from the mobile home and sustained a broken eye socket. Denton was rolled inside the mobile home, sustaining numerous injuries to his body, neck, and head. He died six days later.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Bent | 1997-09-06 | 32 | Male | Mobile/Trailer Home | Direct |
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, August 31, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, August 31, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in North Dakota, August 31, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, August 31, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, August 31, 1997
- Drought in Maryland, August 31, 1997
- High Wind in Minnesota, August 31, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, August 31, 1997
- Hail in Colorado, August 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, August 31, 1997
- Hail in Kansas, August 31, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 31, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 1997
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: 5613198, 5613199, 5613200.