Today in History: The first tornado in a 10-day sequence of 239 tornadoes formed on this day in 2008
In what was one of the biggest US tornado sequences of all time, 239 separate tornadoes caused damage in excess of $343 million, with 13 fatalities reported.
The late-May 2008 tornado outbreak which saw a total of 239 tornadoes wreak havoc across Central United States began on 22 May when an EF3 strength tornado formed outside Greeley, Colarado.
Severe thunderstorm and tornado watches extended from eastern Wyoming into northern Kansas early on 22 May.
Then just before noon, a 1,6km-wide tornado was reported near Greeley, which is about one hour north of Denver. It moved northwest, which is considered an unusual path for tornadoes, and struck the town of Windsor at EF3 strength, causing extensive damage to homes and buildings in town.
One person was killed at the Missile Silo Campground near Greeley as a result of the tornado.
Also on 22 May, an EF2 tornado struck the city of Laramie, Wyoming, causing some damage to roofs of businesses and tossing trucks across the Interstate 80 highway.
Several other tornadoes occurred in Kansas, and a few even touched down as far west as southern California that afternoon.
Numerous other tornadoes were reported right across northern Kansas, however damage was limited due to the sparsely populated nature of the area.
Another intense storm travelled across northern Oklahoma during the evening as well.
At least 45 tornadoes were reported across the Central United States region on the first day of the sequence.
The sequence would continue until 31 May, when activity was mostly limited to hail and damaging wind events, but a few tornadoes were still reported.
The total damage for the 10-day period was estimated to be about $343 million ($399 145 752,73 today), with a total of 13 fatalities reported.
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