A funnel cloud was spotted five miles northeast of Cortez on Tuesday afternoon, prompting at least two schools to initiate lockdown procedures.
Weather spotter Jim Andrus, of Cortez, called the twister in to the National Weather Service about 2:50 p.m. He watched it for five minutes, and it didn’t touch down.
A tornado warning was issued for northeastern Montezuma County from 2:50 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Telephone and email alerts warned residents in Cortez and Dolores to take cover.
Doppler radar showed a dangerous storm in the area moving northeast at 10 mph.
“I saw a funnel cloud descend 500 feet below the base of the thunderstorm,” Andrus said. “By the time I called it in, it had disappeared.”
The tornado was sharply defined, he said, and was confirmed by bits of clouds that could be seen rotating around it.
He said the last reported funnel cloud in the region east of Cortez was 15 years ago.
Wind shear occurring at different altitudes helps to create the twisting winds of tornados, Andrus said.
“This one came and went and was not a significant threat, but it’s best to keep an eye out and report them right away,” he said.
Mesa Elementary School in Cortez reportedly went into a tornado lockdown as a precaution. Students were ushered into the hallways.
Dolores schools reported that they went into lockdown about 2:50 p.m. and ended it about 3:15 p.m., when the National Weather Service lifted the warning.
A National Weather Service tornado warning alerts the public to an existing tornado or one believed to be in existence. The service advises that in the event of a tornado, residents take cover and move to a basement, an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Under a tornado warning, residents are advised to avoid windows, and those in a mobile home or outdoors to move to the closest substantial shelter to avoid flying debris.
