EFU Tornado — Gunnison, Colorado

2021-05-29 · near Marble, Gunnison, Colorado

Event narrative

A storm chaser traveling along County Road 12 (Kebler Pass) observed a high elevation landspout tornado near the summit of Purple Mountain. The tornado was estimated to be near 12,600 ft and traveled a short distance along the ridge, before dissipating. Snow could be seen blowing around the base of the rotation as it moved across the ridge.

Wider weather episode

An upper level disturbance moving southeast across the Central Rockies triggered widespread showers and thunderstorms. Strong surface winds in the vicinity of the West Elk Mountains near Crested Butte Colorado, combined with local terrain features, aided in the spin-up of a short-lived landspout tornado that was captured by a storm chaser along Kebler Pass.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.9917, -107.1035)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 952112. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.