WESTCLIFFE, Colo. – Several cabins and trailers were damaged Monday after a rope tornado touched down in the Lake DeWeese area about 60 miles west of Pueblo, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
The funnel cloud was first spotted just after 4 p.m. Monday, and deputies and area residents watched for about 10 minutes before the funnel cloud touched down and became a tornado.
Our news partners at KOAA in Colorado Springs confirmed with the National Weather Service in Pueblo that the tornado did officially touch down in the area. An NWS crew will be doing damage assessment in the area on Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office said two propane tanks were damaged by the tornado and were leaking propane, and a metal garage was blown from the ground and landed on top of a home.
Several homes, cabins and trailers suffered damage to their walls, fences and windows, and at least one trailer was destroyed, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said the Custer County Planning and Zoning Office was working to notify property owners of damage and to offer help in cleaning up.
High-altitude tornadoes are less-common in Colorado than those typically seen on the plains but there have been several reported in recent years.
by Blair Miller (2019, July 23) The Denver Channel
