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Strong Tornadoes Aren't Common, But Mean Business When They Hit Colorado

DENVER (CBS4) - When you hear the words 'strong tornado' the heart of Tornado Alley probably comes to mind.

But strong tornadoes occasionally happen in Colorado.

In fact since 1950 we've averaged about 20 per decade.

Prior to 2007 the Fujita Scale was used to rate the strength of tornadoes in the United States.

But based off new research we now use the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Both scales use a tornado's damage to estimate the strongest wind speed produced by the storm.

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The Enhanced Fujita Scale has been used to estimate the strength of U.S. tornadoes since 2007.

WEAK TORNADOES

93% of Colorado tornadoes since 1950 have been rated 0 or 1 on the Fujita/Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Although they sometimes cause serious damage and can potentially be life-threatening these tornadoes are generally considered to be weak.

Weak tornadoes account for 16% of all Colorado tornado injuries.

STRONG TORNADOES

7% of Colorado tornadoes since 1950 have been rated 2 or 3 on the Fujita/Enhanced Fujita Scale.

These tornadoes are typically classified as strong tornadoes and can cause significant damage, death and injuries.

Most of the time these tornadoes touch down along and east of Interstate 25 but we have seen some strong tornadoes in the mountains.

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Of the 134 tornadoes considered strong in Colorado since 1950, most have touched down along or east of Interstate 25. (credit: CBS)

While strong tornadoes aren't very common in Colorado when they happen they mean business.

Strong tornadoes account for 84% of all tornado-related injuries and 100% of all tornado-related deaths in our state.

DEVASTATING TORNADOES

Tornadoes rated 4 or 5 on the Fujita/Enhanced Fujita Scale are classified as devastating and often aren't survivable unless you are in a substantial shelter or underground.

We've been lucky in Colorado with no documented touchdowns within our state since tornado records began.

But an F4 tornado has traveled into Colorado.

It touched down in northwest Oklahoma on May 18, 1977 and traveled into Baca County.

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The only F4 tornado ever documented in Colorado traveled into the state from Oklahoma. (credit: CBS)
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