It happened on a Saturday. May 7, 2016. If you weren't in Yuma County that day, you probably saw it anyway. Honestly, even if you don't follow the weather, you’ve likely scrolled past the footage on YouTube or seen it in a "Top 10 Most Insane Nature Clips" compilation.
The tornado in Wray Colorado wasn't just another storm. It was a masterpiece of atmospheric violence.
While most tornadoes are messy, rain-wrapped blobs that hide their secrets behind a curtain of gray, Wray was different. It was high-based. It was clean. It looked like something a Hollywood director would order up if they had a billion-dollar CGI budget, but this was the real deal. High Plains magic.
The Day the Sky Turned Red
Usually, Colorado tornadoes are "landspouts"—skinny, weak things that don't do much. But the setup on May 7 was weird. You had a dry line, a warm front, and an unusual amount of moisture for that far west. Meteorologists like Reed Timmer and Tony Laubach knew something was up.
Most people don't realize that there were actually multiple tornadoes that day. Most were brief, spinning up over open fields near Heartstrong and Eckley. But then came the main event.
At about 5:51 PM MDT, a monster supercell just north of Wray decided it was time.
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It started as a dusty swirl. Then, it tightened into a massive, gorgeous stovepipe. Because the soil in that part of the state is so distinct, the tornado sucked up a huge amount of red dust. The result? A terrifying, blood-red pedestal of debris that stretched from the grass to the clouds. It stayed on the ground for about 8 miles, carving a path through the sand hills that chasers still talk about today.
Why the Footage Is So Famous
If you've seen the 4K 360-degree video from the Dominator 3, that’s the Wray tornado.
Reed Timmer and his crew got within 50 yards of the thing. They were so close they could see individual clumps of dirt being ripped out of the ground. In the video, you can hear the roar—not like a train, but like a continuous, low-frequency vibration that rattles your teeth.
It was a "Low Precipitation" (LP) supercell. In plain English, that means there wasn't a bunch of rain blocking the view. You could see the "inner skeleton" of the storm. You saw the spiral bands feeding into the core. You saw the "cinnamon bun" cloud structure. It was a textbook on physics happening in real-time.
What Kind of Damage Did It Actually Do?
Despite how scary it looked, the official rating was an EF2.
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Now, don't get it twisted—EF2 is plenty strong enough to kill you. The National Weather Service estimated peak winds at roughly 130 mph. It tossed semi-trucks like they were Hot Wheels. It flattened 40 power poles. It shredded three residences and two businesses. Four people were injured, mostly from flying debris and vehicle accidents on Highway 385.
But it could have been so much worse.
Most of the 8-mile path was over open ranch land. If that red monster had marched directly through the center of Wray, we’d be talking about a tragedy instead of a "photogenic" event. It’s one of those rare moments where the beauty of the storm wasn't completely overshadowed by a massive body count.
The "High Plains" Anomaly
Why was it so pretty? Usually, tornadoes in the Deep South or the "traditional" Tornado Alley (Oklahoma/Kansas) are surrounded by a mess of clouds and rain. Colorado's high elevation and lower humidity create these high-based storms.
Meteorologist Dr. Maria Molina was navigating for Timmer that day. They actually debated whether or not to stop for gas right before it ramped up. Good thing they didn't. The storm evolved so fast that five minutes made the difference between seeing a cloud and seeing the most famous tornado of the decade.
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What We Learned (And What You Should Do)
You can't just drive up to an EF2 and expect to walk away. The only reason the Wray footage exists is because professionals with armored vehicles and decades of experience took the risk.
If you live in an area prone to these events, remember:
- Visuals are deceiving. A "pretty" tornado like Wray is just as lethal as a "hidden" one.
- Highway 385 became a parking lot. One of the biggest dangers that day wasn't just the wind—it was the hundreds of storm chasers and locals clogging the roads. If you're in the path, get off the road.
- The "Red" isn't fire. It's just the dirt. But that dirt is traveling at 130 mph. It’ll sandblast the paint off a car in seconds.
The Wray Colorado tornado remains a gold standard for weather research because of the sheer quality of the data collected. It proved that even "modest" EF2 storms can possess incredible internal structures that we're still trying to fully understand.
Check your local weather radio settings and make sure your "Go Bag" is ready before the next spring season hits. If you ever find yourself looking at a red wall of dust on the horizon, don't reach for your phone to film it. Get to the basement.
Keep an eye on the NWS Goodland office for the latest High Plains warnings, as their radar coverage in that corner of Colorado is the definitive word on when to take cover.