BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado set a record June 21 for the number of confirmed tornadoes on a calendar day in the state, with 36 occurring in Logan and Washington counties on the eastern plains.
Most of those tornadoes were weak and short-lived, but a few in Washington County lasted longer and reached EF2 intensity. Most were over open areas and only a few locations had any damage, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder said in a report released Thursday.
"This is by far the most tornadoes confirmed on a calendar day in the state of Colorado," the NWS said in the report.
NWS said this doesn't mean that June 21 actually had the most tornadoes in Colorado ever: "GPS, smartphones with Hollywood quality cameras, storm chasers, increasing population all mean that tornadoes that occur are being reported better than at any time in history."
Previously, the top four days for confirmed tornadoes were:
- May 17, 2000 – 27 tornadoes
- May 28, 2018 – 21
- June 4, 2015 – 21
- April 22, 2010 – 20
Also on, June 21, severe hail hit Red Rocks Amphitheater that injured nearly 100 people, with many requiring hospitalization.
"This was one of the worst hailstones in Colorado regarding human injuries in a long time," NWS said in its report.
The NWS report includes a breakdown of each tornado with its rating and path length, and an interactive map of the tornadoes' paths.
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