A tornado damaged three homes near Montezuma Creek, Utah, on Saturday as two twisters swept toward Southwest Colorado, prompting three tornado warnings in Montezuma County, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service also issued a flash flood watch Saturday, in effect until midnight for portions of Southwest Colorado and eastern Utah.
“Recent burn scars, including Deer Creek, Lee, Elk, South Rim, Turner Gulch and Stoner Mesa, will be the most susceptible,” the weather service said. “Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.”
According to weather service reports, the first tornado was confirmed about 1:47 p.m. near Montezuma Creek, and came with a tornado warning for eastern San Juan County. The Navajo Police Department reported that it damaged three homes, but injured no one.
A second tornado reportedly touched down in northeast San Juan County shortly after the first, at 1:41 p.m., about 16 miles east of Monticello, Utah, and entered Southwest Colorado shortly after 2 p.m.
The Navajo Police Department said the tornado followed a pattern of a dissipating tornado that reformed into a funnel cloud. The National Weather Service reported up to four confirmed sightings of two tornadoes.
- At 12:46 p.m., the first tornado was spotted 7 miles northeast of Montezuma Creek, or 22 miles southeast of Blanding, moving northeast at 10 mph. It resulted in a tornado warning in effect until 1:15 p.m. for southeastern San Juan County, Utah.
- At 1:12 p.m., a tornado was located 10 miles northeast of Montezuma Creek, moving at 10 mph. That sighting prompted a tornado warning for western Montezuma County in southwestern Colorado and east-central San Juan County in southeastern Utah, effective until 1:45 p.m.
- At 1:42 p.m., the second tornado was located 10 miles northeast of Montezuma Creek, moving northeast at 10 mph. It resulted in a tornado warning in effect until 2:15 p.m. for western Montezuma and Dolores counties in Colorado and east-central San Juan County, Utah.
- At 2:09 p.m., the second tornado was spotted 18 miles north of Aneth, or 26 miles southeast of Blanding, moving northeast at 15 mph. It carried quarter-size hail.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning in effect until 2:45 p.m. for southwestern Dolores, northwestern Montezuma and east-central San Juan counties, including Hovenweep National Monument. It reported that the tornado was on the ground. “Take cover now,” it warned.
At 4:31 p.m., Navajo Police confirmed that “several homes near Montezuma Creek were completely damaged,” according to the department’s Facebook page.
The department said it was coordinating with the Aneth Chapter House, San Juan County EMS, Utah Navajo Health System and Montezuma Creek Elementary School for recovery efforts.
The Utah Navajo Health System established an Incident Command Post, and Montezuma Creek Elementary School opened its gym to provide shelter for community members, according to the Facebook post.
Navajo Police first reported at 1:47 p.m. that a tornado had touched down.
“It’s been reported the tornado has touched ground and three homes affected at this time,” according to a post on the Navajo Police Facebook page.
Residents were advised to seek shelter, stay off the roads and avoid driving.
As of 2:35 p.m., no new tornado sightings had been reported in the Montezuma Creek area.
Navajo Police officers were continuing to assess the area for injuries and structural damage.
“Please continue to remain alert and monitor the current weather conditions,” police said. “Please check on your family and friends in the area to make sure everyone is safe.”
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
