NWS confirms EF-1 tornado in Teller County

(TELLER COUNTY, Colo.) — The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that a funnel cloud spotted in Teller County west of Woodland Park on Tuesday, June 17, was an EF-1 tornado.

The NWS was on-site in Teller County on Wednesday with FOX21 Storm Team Meteorologist Megan Montero, to assess the damage and determine whether the funnel cloud qualified as a tornado.

With wind gusts reaching 106 mph, the NWS said the storm, which hit approximately two miles northeast of Divide around 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, was confirmed to be an EF-1 tornado. Under the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF), a tornado is classified as an EF-1 when it has wind gusts between 86-110 mph lasting longer than three seconds and causes moderate damage.

The Teller County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said it was tracking about 15 and a half acres of damage across the county, mostly downed trees, though the NWS is awaiting drone data to determine the exact path of the storm. The NWS said it hopes to have that data by Friday.

According to FOX21’s Megan Montero, this marks only the seventh tornado to hit Teller County since 1995.