June 24, 2018 Routt County Tornado

Overview

A landspout tornado briefly touched down approximately 17 miles NNW of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, or 7 miles WSW of Clark, Colorado, around 10:18am on June 24, 2018. This is the first confirmed tornado in western Colorado west of the continental divide in 2018. Two National Weather Service meteorologists met with the Routt County Emergency Management Director on June 25, 2018 and surveyed the area to try and confirm whether the reported funnel cloud produced a tornado. Though no concrete evidence was found during the survey, the group spoke with many people around the region and pinpointed the likely track of the center of circulation. Late on the 25th, a couple of eyewitnesses contacted the National Weather Service in Grand Junction and confirmed a small dust cloud at the bottom of the funnel which indicated contact with the ground. The tornado was estimated to last for about a minute, while the associated condensation funnel existed for about 10 minutes.

Credit: Soren Jespersen

Tornado - 17 miles NNW Steamboat Springs/8 miles WSW of Clark, Colorado
ROUTT COUNTY

Date	6/24/2018
Time (Local)	10:18am
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	65 mph
Path Length	0.35 miles
Max Width	30 feet
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: A tornado briefly touched down approximately 17 miles NNW of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, or 8 miles WSW of Clark, Colorado, around 10:18 am on June 24, 2018.

Radar/Photo


From Steamboat Springs resort looking NW toward the town of Steamboat Springs. Photo courtesy Kim Horn.	Tornado between Sleeping Giant and Sand Mountain. Photo courtesy Karen Waggoner Whitney.	Snapshot of a video taken by Noel Lundien on County Rd 46.	Snapshot of a video taken by Brittany Dick from Elk River Estates


Radar image from KCYS (Cheyenne, WY) WSR-88D. Reflectivity is on left and Storm-relative velocity on right at 10:28 am. The dot references approximately where the funnel dissipated.	Radar Reflectivity and Storm-relative velocity loop from KCYS WSR-88D radar during the event. The crosshair indicates where the tornado touched down and the red dot where the funnel dissipated.	Photo courtesy Francine Dinapoli at 10:17am.	Photo of the tornado at 10:19am from CR 129. Note the dust being picked up by the funnel on the distant hillside. Photo courtesy Amilia Griffith.


Radar reflectivity loop from KGJT WSR-88D radar during the event. The crosshair indicates where the tornado touched down and the red dot where the funnel dissipated.	Radar image from KCYS (Cheyenne, WY) WSR-88D showing the dissipating cell that produced the Routt County tornado while the Jackson County tornado was ongoing. Visit the NWS Boulder event review for info on this second tornado!	Wide view of the exact tornado touchdown location as determined by photo evidence and public accounts of the event.	Zoomed in view showing the terrain near the tornado touchdown location as determined by photo evidence and public accounts of the event.

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

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