Highlands Ranch, CO

Wag N’ Wash, a specialty retailer focused on the wellbeing of pets, is excited to announce the grand re-opening of its location in Highlands Ranch at 2229 Wildcat Reserve Pkwy. In keeping with the company’s mission of taking care of dogs and cats from head to tail, Wag N’ Wash Highlands Ranch is a one-stop, neighborhood pet store that offers a full-service grooming salon, self-serve pet wash as well as thousands of high-quality, brand name products including food, treats, toys, supplements and other pet care essentials. This location is recently-renovated with a fresh, new interior and a brand-new state of the art grooming salon.

This local business is now owned by Jen and John Park who have been residents of Highlands Ranch since 1996. They were originally customers of this location for many years before they purchased it from the previous owner. For the past three years, the husband-and-wife duo have invested in various innovations to improve operations, store design, and prioritize customers wants and needs with a new grooming salon. As a community partners, the Parks intend to establish connections with other local community organizations to strengthen the bond between companion pets and their guardians through proper products, services, education, and supporting a healthy pet lifestyle.

“John and I are overjoyed to announce the grand re-opening of our Wag N' Wash store in Highlands Ranch, a place close to our hearts and a community we love,” said Jen. “Having experienced firsthand the bonds between pet owners and their furry companions here, we look forward to continue to serve our neighbors.”

To celebrate the new management and improvements at this location, Wag N’ Wash Highlands Ranch will be hosting a grand re-opening event Saturday, October 28 through Sunday, October 29. On Saturday, October 28 there will be a ribbon cutting with the Northwest Douglas County Chamber and Economic Development Corporation at 10 a.m. The Colorado Pet Pantry will be on site on Saturday, October 28 and Pepper’s Senior Pet Sanctuary will be onsite Sunday, October 29. Both charitable organizations will be accepting donations. The festivities will include:

At each self-serve pet wash at every Wag N’ Wash location, a pet wash attendant provides the pet parent with an apron, shampoo, conditioner, brushes and cologne spray and cleans up everything when you are done. In addition to having a full-service grooming salon staffed by professional groomers at every store, Wag N’ Wash also offers specialty services like nail trims, ear cleanings, and more. As big of a role services play in the retailer’s success, Wag N' Wash is equally committed to providing pet parents a wide selection of high-quality dog and cat food, treats, toys apparel, collars, leashes and other pet care necessities.

Wag N’ Wash Highlands Ranch is open Monday - Sunday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. For more information about Wag N’ Wash Highlands Ranch, please call 720-344-9274, or visit wagnwash.com. Connect with Wag N’ Wash Highlands Ranch on social media through Facebook and Instagram.

Jeff Ruden had just pulled into his garage Thursday afternoon when he got the alert: a tornado had been spotted over Highlands Ranch.

Less than 10 minutes later, the hail started. And after the raging winds pulled the first tree out of the ground, Ruden and his family hunkered down in their basement for shelter.

“You could feel the whole house shake, your ears were popping, you knew something came over,” he said. “We were literally in the direct line of what came through. I have six 20-year-old trees that are on the ground. There’s no more shade for the house.”

Friday morning, Ruden was among the residents working to repair damage and clean up debris strewn along the tornado’s 8.36-mile path through Highlands Ranch and into Lone Tree — trees uprooted, windows broken, roofs and siding beat up from the hail.

Nobody was seriously injured by the tornado, which the National Weather Service said touched down at 3:24 p.m. and was on the ground for 26 minutes. In that time, it traveled more than 8 miles — about 2 miles more than the weather service initially estimated.

Meteorologists gave the tornado a classification of EF-1, with top wind speeds of 105 mph. NWS officials also said it’s likely that straight-line winds knocked down trees about a mile or more south of the tornado’s path.

“It was surreal to come out and see the aftermath,” Ruden said. “I grew up in Iowa, so this was nothing new. But being in Colorado for over 20 years, I don’t think I ever would’ve expected a tornado in Highlands Ranch. Now it’s just a matter of clean-up.”

Looking around White Bay Drive and the rest of his neighborhood, Ruden said his house was in the direct line of Thursday afternoon’s tornado. With six uprooted trees in his yard, he enlisted the help of a group of landscaping friends to break down and transport the downed trees to dump locations.

Just two miles away, in the Brookfield neighborhood, the Sheets family started repairs on their own tornado aftermath.

Randy Sheets and his wife were at work when the storm hit its peak Thursday — and when the 100-foot cottonwood in their front yard crashed through their house.

“It came in through the living room, took out a couple windows and now the right side of the house is slowly coming down,” Sheets said. “We’re speaking to insurance to figure out what we can clean up now and what we have to hold off on.”

Sheets said the tree also took out his brother’s room upstairs, though they luckily have a spare room for him to sleep in. The rest of the house was relatively undamaged.

Friends and family reached out after the storm, looking to help, and the group was planning to tackle what debris they can carry off the property while they wait to hear back from the insurance company.

However, that may not be their only wait. Tree removal companies across the area are now booked out for weeks.

“Usually we’re about a week out on jobs that we need to do,” said Alex Loula, a supervisor at SavATree. “As of this morning, when we got in, the jobs that they already had called in had us three to four weeks out already. We have about four times our normal workload, and that’s just storm damage, not even regular tree work.”

The Kims, who hired Loula to remove two trees late Friday morning, were able to call the night before and get the service booked for the next day.

“We were just going down a list of companies until we got to one that would answer,” Ho Kim said. “They called us back at 9 a.m. and, luckily, happened to have a crew down the street working already.”

Compared to other families around them in the Eastridge Terrace neighborhood, damage to the Kims’ house was minimal.

Ho Kim’s wife, Susan, said there were several sections of fencing down in the backyard and possible roof and siding damage from the hail, but no major structural damage to the house.

“We’re taking it one step at a time,” Susan Kim said. “Right now it’s the trees, then we call the fence people, the insurance, the painters. I’m just grateful it wasn’t worse.”

Outside of the neighborhood, Douglas County crews continued to clear tree debris from sidewalks and major streets Friday, starting with the hardest hit area between Highlands Ranch Parkway and C-470 and from Broadway to Colorado Boulevard.

According to a Friday news release, crews are evaluating every street in Highlands Ranch. They’re asking residents to report damaged traffic signs and downed traffic signals online.

Broken, leaning and downed streetlights should be reported to Xcel Energy, according to the Highlands Ranch Metro District.

The company already has received 50-odd reports of damaged light poles and began removing them Friday, Sturgeon Electric foreman Tom Johnson said.

Johnson said he is unsure when the removed streetlights will be replaced.

“The county has issued a disaster declaration to open the door for state support,” Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon said in a Friday news release. “In the meantime, we are working with the Highlands Ranch community to provide tree debris drop-off sites.”

Any debris larger than a typical trashcan load should go to the drop-off sites at Highland Heritage Park at 9651 S. Quebec St. and Redstone Park at 3280 Redstone Park Circle. The Highlands Ranch Metro District does not allow fencing to be dropped off at either site.

The drop-off sites opened Friday morning and will remain open indefinitely.

Redstone Park is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Highland Heritage Park is open from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.

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This weekend, crews will work under the Union Pacific Railroad bridge, pictured here, over US 85, as part of Douglas County’s US 85 Widening project.

Driving near US 85 and Highlands Ranch Parkway this weekend? Please plan around two construction-related road impacts.

US 85 Lane Closures Watch for delays and single lane closures between Norwood and Blakeland drives starting at 10 p.m. Friday, May 19.

These lane closures will allow crews to safely perform roadway and bridge work under the Union Pacific Railroad over US 85. This extended closure will eliminate the need for more than 30 overnight closures as part of the corridor improvements being made by Douglas County and its partners during the US 85 widening and reconstruction project from Highlands Ranch Parkway to north of C-470.

Please give yourself extra time or use alternate routes and pay attention to posted speed limits and signage.

Highlands Ranch Parkway Closure Highlands Ranch Parkway will be fully closed between Bucknell Drive and US 85 from 8 p.m. Friday, May 19, to 5 a.m. Monday, May 22. (Construction crews will maintain access for first responders.)

The closure will allow crews to safely remove and replace the existing underground utilities beneath Highlands Ranch Parkway along US 85. US 85 will not be impacted during this closure.

If weather conditions do not allow this work to take place as originally scheduled, crews will conduct this work at a later date.

Please watch for crews, heed the speed limit, and avoid distracted driving in the work zone.

Get Updates on the US 85 widening project

In partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver Regional Council of Governments, the Federal Highway Administration, Highlands Ranch Metro District, and Chatfield Basin developers, Douglas County is improving safety and mobility along US 85 from Highlands Ranch Parkway to just north of C-470.

Stay updated by signing up for emails – select “US 85 Construction.”

For more information about the upcoming work and to stay updated on construction impacts, please visit our website, douglas.co.us/us-85-construction.

Other Roadwork

Interested in knowing what’s happening on roads throughout Douglas County? Sign up for Douglas County’s Cone Zone email notifications. For statewide road conditions, visit cotrip.org.

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The National Weather Service has issued a preliminary report for the tornado damage in Highlands Ranch. The NWS says the estimate is that Thursday's tornado may have been an EF-1 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The violent storm traveled a total of 6.3 miles across northern Douglas County crossing from west Highlands Ranch to Lone Tree. Estimated peak wind is 97. But, that number may go up after NWS surveys damage in person on Friday. The width of the damage path is estimated at 1/4 mile wide.

In addition, to the tornado in Highlands Ranch a second tornado touched down near Payton northeast of Colorado Springs.

Thursday's storm left a destructive path of hail from Evergreen to Elbert County. Morrison had 2 inch diameter hail the size of eggs. Littleton into north Highlands Ranch had ping pong ball size hail.

If the tornado, wind and hail weren't enough the storm also soaked the south metro area with flooding rains. In some spots as much as 1 to 4 inches of rainfall hit during Thursday's storm.

RELATED: Highlands Ranch prepares for Fourth of July parade, fireworks as it continues cleanup from tornado

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Drone footage shows damage to homes in the Denver suburbs after an EF1 tornado tore through the area. It downed trees and knocked out power lines and street lights.

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A​ tornado damaged homes Thursday in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch.

H​ere's what happened in Highlands Ranch:

-The tornado was on the ground for about 6 miles, according to the National Weather Service.

-The NWS gave the tornado a preliminary rating of EF1 based on damage, which means wind speeds may have been as high as 110 mph.

-​An elementary school and a fire station were also damaged.

-V​ideo posted to social media by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office showed debris flying through the air as the tornado was reported in Highlands Ranch.

-The Sheriff warned anyone in the path of the storm to take shelter. Douglas County also includes the communities of Lone Tree, Parker, Castle Pines and Castle Rock.

W​eather.com digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles adds:

-"A line of severe thunderstorms pushed eastward off the Rockies Thursday afternoon. One of the thunderstorms produced a tornado near the city of Highlands Ranch, which is 10 to 15 miles south of downtown Denver."

-"Tornadoes are most common in Colorado in June and early July as the jet stream retreats northward as summertime heat builds from the Southern Plains northward."

Other severe weather in the Denver area:

-Storms also brought flooding to some areas, including Lone Tree and to the south in El Paso County, where Colorado Springs is located.

-T​here were also several reports of hail in the area, some up to the size of tennis balls.

-This came a day after a storm that dropped hail on Colorado's Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre injured dozens of concertgoers.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM:

-​Watch: First Look At Highlands Ranch Damage

-​Watch: Tree, Fence Uprooted In Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Storm

-​Watch: What To Know About Severe Weather During Outdoor Events

-Read: The Enhanced Fujita Scale: How Tornadoes are Rated

-Read: Tornado Watch Vs. Warning: What's The Difference?

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.