Tornado damages 17 structures near Bennett, Colorado
A tornado touched down near Bennett, Colorado, at approximately 14:00 LT on May 18, 2025, destroying multiple homes and power lines as part of a broader outbreak across the Great Plains.
A tornado outbreak impacted Colorado’s eastern plains on May 18, damaging at least 36 homes and structures in Adams and Elbert counties.
In Adams County, near the town of Bennett, 17 structures were damaged or destroyed, including six residential homes, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. In nearby Elbert County, another 19 homes sustained damage ranging from minor to severe, particularly near the town of Elizabeth.
CORE Electric Cooperative reported outages affecting 90 customers in the Bennett area. Crews replaced at least 30 broken power poles and repaired downed wires, with power restored by the following morning.
WOW! Check out this compilation of our Bennett, CO tornado from COTrip traffic cameras! pic.twitter.com/hoJTERUeCa
— Max Velocity (@MaxVelocityWX) May 18, 2025
I’ll share more video later but this was tornado #3 right after it crossed I-70, just west of Bennett. #cowx pic.twitter.com/q6YdYtbDAF
— John Sirlin (@SirlinJohn) May 18, 2025
Meteorological conditions on May 18 included a potent upper-level trough positioned over the western United States and an eastward-advancing dryline, favoring the development of intense supercell thunderstorms, which produced multiple tornadoes across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued tornado warnings starting around 14:00 LT (20:00 UTC), covering the Denver metro area and extending across the Eastern Plains. Tornadoes were confirmed in locations such as Manila Village, near Arapahoe Park, and two in the town of Bennett.
Emergency services have been mobilized to assist affected residents and assess structural damage. Local authorities advised those in need of shelter or information to report to the Bennett Recreation Center at 455 S. 1st Street.
Damage assessments by the NWS are ongoing. Official Enhanced Fujita scale (EF) ratings for the tornadoes are expected upon completion of field surveys.
Featured image: Tornado near Bennett, Colorado on May 18, 2025. Credit: COTrip (stillshot from video)
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
