EF2 Tornado — Coconino, Arizona

2010-10-06 · near Bellemont, Coconino, Arizona

Event narrative

Considerable structural damage in and around the community of Bellemont; significant forest damage and treefall in forest north and south of Bellemont. This tornado was from the same storm that produced Tornado #2. Aerial and ground surveys verified a semi-continuous tornado path from 8 miles south of Bellemont, extending northward for 26 miles, crossing Interstate 40 and Highway 180 (three times- near mileposts 230, 234, and 240). Tornado passed 2/3 mile east of the NWS Bellemont Weather Forecast office. Damage from this tornado included:

-7 minor injuries.

-Over 100 homes damaged in Bellemont, 21 homes sustaining significant damage (deemed uninhabitable).

-At least one business (RV Sales) with damage with 30+ RV units demolished and tossed onto Interstate 40. Interstate closed for several hours.

-At least one overturned truck on the Interstate.

-Numerous forest roads blocked, campers stranded by fallen trees.

-Around 75 power poles knocked down.

Wider weather episode

A strong low pressure center over California pushed abundant moisture over Arizona producing widespread thunderstorms with numerous severe storms. Strong vertical wind shear...with helicity in the 400-450 range...also provided an environment for supercell development. There were eleven confirmed tornadoes on October 6, 2010 across northern Arizona (three of the tornadoes were within 2 miles of the NWS Forecast office). This breaks the old record for the most tornadoes in Arizona for one day. The Arizona Governor signed a declaration of emergency for Coconino Country for $200,000 to be used for emergency response and public infrastructure repair.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.1060, -111.8390)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 261970. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.