Afternoon Storm Wipes Out Over 100 Trees West of Fort Collins [UPDATED]
Our afternoon storms this week have certainly packed a punch or two. According to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, Thursday afternoon a high wind event wiped out over a hundred trees west of Fort Collins.
The U.S. Forest Service is saying that the Bellaire Lake Campground, about 30 miles west of Fort Collins and near Red Feather Lakes is CLOSED. A severe thunderstorm rolled through the area Thursday afternoon. Witnesses have commented on Facebook that they thought it was a tornado, but those reports have NOT been confirmed as of 7:30 p.m. Thursday night.
UPDATE: A Response on Facebook regarding potential tornado:
we had several good indicators it may have been a tornado, but this damage could have been caused by a microburst wind event as well. Someone earlier stated they had a video of an actual tornado in Red Feather from yesterday, but we never received that video. Either way, it was a wild day for weather in the foothills/mountains of Larimer County -Larimer County Sheriff's Office
Molly Lake Trailhead and campsites along Manhattan road are included in the closure.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office has said that the U.S. Forest Service is working closely with Larimer County Emergency Services to ensure the safety and evacuation of campers in the area.
Clean-up measures will begin Friday by the Roosevelt Hotshot crew.