Colorado, 1997

Tornado and Damaging Wind in Colorado, October 11, 1997

October 11, 1997 · NWS GLD · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

1 high wind, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
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 Goodland radar (KGLD), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Cheyenne County

When
October 11, 3:00 PM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where
Cheyenne County forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates
38.828, -102.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind gust to 61 mph recorded 14N Arapahoe at 1511 MST and to 80 mph at 2146 MST.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cheyenne

When
October 11, 7:30 PM MST
Where
Cheyenne County, Kit Carson
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
38.770, -102.780

Spotter estimated 60 mph wind gust.

Tornado, Kit Carson

When
October 11, 8:06 PM MST
Where
Kit Carson County, 1 mi W of Stratton
Rating
F1
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
39.300, -102.620

Brief tornado damaged a large barn and a pole barn.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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.
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 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 1997Warnings in Colorado, October 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: 5622179, 5622180, 5622181.