Throughout Central Colorado, there were hail and thunderstorms with very strong winds, which created the small tornado I experienced. The storm system created two tornados that touched down, "carrying winds that rose up to 80 mph and snapping trees that were 5 inches in diameter"(denverpost.com). Between the thunderstorms and tornados, significant damage was caused to property and the livelihoods of residents, although no deaths were reported. I was lucky in that the tornado did not touch down where I was, however, it did nearby.
Denver Business Journal reported $350 million in property damage in the Denver area as a result of the storm system. Other areas nearby were similarly affected, however, there is no accessible data on what damage was caused. The storm knocked out power for 29,000 people. Trees fell and crushed houses and cars, making roads inaccessible and unsafe.
https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/07/27/daily16.html
https://www.denverpost.com/2009/07/21/clean-up-begins-after-overnight-metro-denver-storm/
https://data.coloradoan.com/tornado-archive/colorado/182091/
Wow! That must have been pretty scary. Have you talked to your dad about what he was feeling during this? I would imagine he tried to stay calm for you but was pretty worried/freaked out too. That's amazing to learn that 29,000 people lost power. Growing up in the Midwest, I feel like we don't always give tornados the respect/acknowledgement they deserve of how dangerous and powerful they can be. I'm glad you were okay! Thanks for sharing your story :)
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