Colorado, 2005

Tornado in Colorado, October 4, 2005

October 4, 2005 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Two people driving tractors in a farm field witnessed the development of a condensation funnel which eventually touched down in the field they were working. The vortex came within about 20 feet of one of the workers.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$1,000
Crop damage
None recorded
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 GJT wrote it up.

Two people driving tractors in a farm field witnessed the development of a condensation funnel which eventually touched down in the field they were working. The vortex came within about 20 feet of one of the workers. Gated irrigation pipe which had been connected was torn apart and thrown about 300 feet away. A corral received a glancing blow which also blew over a connected cattle chute. A mature live tree was pulled out by the roots. A pile of lumber and pallets was picked up and strewn approximately 400 feet away. The tornado also tore out sage brush and other sturdy vegetation.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 4, 4:03 AM MST, 8 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 4, 4:03 AM MST, 8 hours 57 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 4, 5:18 AM MST, 7 hours 42 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 4, 10:40 AM MST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
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The radar

The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Montrose

When
October 4, 1:00 PM MST to 1:05 PM MST
Where
Montrose County, 1 mi NNW of Bedrock
Rating
F1
Path length
0.7 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.333, -108.883

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 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 2005Warnings in Colorado, October 2005

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5477658.