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Mt. Evans, Colorado.
Twister one of the highest ever reported
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — The National Weather Service this week confirmed that a tornado that touched down at about 11,900-feet near Mt. Evans, Colorado is the second-highest ever reported in the U.S.
The highest reported tornado came July 2004 in Sequoia National Park, California, when a hiker photographed a twister at about 12,000 feet.
The strongest reported high-elevation tornado, with damage reported at the F4 level, was in 1987 in Wyoming, between about 8,500 and 10,000 feet. Another strong tornado (F3) was reported from the Uinta Mountains in Utah in 1993, at about 10,800 feet.
Severe weather experts suggest there have likely been other strong tornadoes at high elevations that were unreported simply because much of the high country is only sparsely populated.
Pictures of the Mt. Evans tornado are online at the Boulder NWS website.
Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado Tagged: | Colorado, extreme weather, Mt Evans, National Weather Service, tornadoes
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