High-Elevation Tornadoes

There's a nice article in the latest Monthly Weather Review examining what is now the highest-elevation tornado documented in the United States (see Monteverdi et al. 2014, access to the full article may be paywalled to those without a subscription).

The tornado occurred in the Rockwell Pass area of Sequoia National Park at an elevation of about 12,000 feet on 7 July 2004.  Impressive photos of the storm were taken by Scott Newton, a backpacker in the area.

Source: Monteverdi et al. (2014)

Source: Monteverdi et al. (2014)

Documented tornadoes at such high elevations are quite rare.  The most famous is the F4-rated Teton tornado of 1987 (see Teton Tornado 25 Years Ago by U Alum and retired Storm Prediction Center forecaster Jack Hales).

No tornadoes for Utah today, but the NWS has a wind advisory out for much of western Utah including the Salt Lake Valley for this afternoon and evening.

Source: NWS