Colorado Tornado Touches Down In Weld County: Some Livestock Deaths, Damage Assessments Ongoing

UPDATE: Weld County Tornado Rated EF-1 With 99 MPH Maximum Winds

WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A tornado touched down on Monday in Weld County east of Interstate 25 and covered a path of about 14 miles. There are no injuries to humans reported, but at least two animals were killed and reports of damage were coming in, including:

- A home located at Highway 66 and County Road 21 caught fire due to downed power lines.
- Two calves were killed at a farm.
- Downed power lines led to a closure of Weld County Road 21 between Highway 66 and Weld County Road 32.5.

A tornado warning that was issued for the area around Platteville lasted about 45 minutes and expired at 6 p.m. That's about 35 miles north of Denver.

Copter4 flew near the tornado starting at approximately 5:15 p.m. near Frederick. It showed the tornado moving north after touching down on the ground and gaining strength. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. the helicopter video showed it was still on the ground. At that point the helicopter had to land due to weather conditions and safety concerns. By 6 p.m. the emergency management office in Weld County said the tornado had dissipated.

They wrote: "Area tornado traveled was between Highway 66 and Weld County Road 42 between WCR 17 and 13."

"Take cover now if in this area!" The National Weather Service office in Boulder wrote on Twitter. A few minutes later, they tweeted: "Initial indications show that it tracked roughly from north of Frederick to west of Platteville."

CBS4 Meteorologist Lauren Whitney said there was lightning and hail to go along with the high winds due to the storm that produced the tornado.

A CBS4 crew captured an image of some of the damage at a large dairy farm. At least one roof was heavily damaged on the property.

Platteville is primarily a rural area, but there is some development along Highway 85.

Several Weld County residents shared photos with CBS4 of the tornado visible from their homes. That included RoxAnn Mack who lives in Firestone, which is south of Platteville.

RJ Steele took this photo from Highway 66 and Weld County Road 7:

CBS4 viewer Tanner Stolz took this photo of the tornado at County Roads 49 & 36.

PHOTO GALLERY: Tornado Touches Down In Weld County Near Platteville

The tornado was also apparently visible in the skies to the north of Denver International Airport.

In:
• Tornado Warning
• Weld County News