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A video has captured the dramatic fallout from a tornado ripping through the backyard of a home in Colorado.
In timelapse footage that was taken in June, but recently shared with Newsweek by security camera company Ring, dangerously powerful winds can be seen throwing outdoor furniture, toys and other garden equipment around at high speed.
A heavy-duty barbecue set up can also be seen being moved several feet in the extreme weather conditions. The tornadic winds are accompanied by torrential rain, which only adds to the chaos of the situation and the potential for danger.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), an estimated 800 tornadoes are reported across the United States each year. Though tornadoes can happen at any time, March through May represents the peak period for south states while northern ones see most tornadoes in late spring and summer.
Most tornadoes occur between the hours of 3 and 9 p.m., but they can happen at any time of day and, in the event of one, it's crucial to take shelter in either a basement, small room or under a secure and sturdy piece of furniture. Failure to do so can, unfortunately, result in serious injury or death. The NWS estimates there are an average of 1,500 injuries and 80 deaths per year due to tornadoes.
Filmed at Highlands Ranch in Colorado, the Ring video is not the most extreme example of a tornado laying waste to everything in its path.
Last month, footage emerged of a car being lifted off the road and flipped into another vehicle in South Carolina as a result of a brief tornado. Meanwhile, another video from July showing a tornado sweeping through the Chicago area proved similarly terrifying.
However, this latest Ring video is a reminder of the damage that can be done by a tornado that is classified as potential "light" or "moderate." Even tornadoes at this end of the scale are not to be messed with and carry winds of anywhere between 65 and 109 miles per hour.
Colorado is no stranger to these kinds of extreme weather conditions. Last month, the state was battered by a series of "monster" tornadoes that brought with them baseball-sized hail stones.
Prior to that, in June, videos surfaced on social media showing the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado being hit with a strong hail storm that left dozens of people injured. The hail came ahead of a scheduled performance by Louis Tomlinson, of One Direction fame.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more