Rare tornado tears through Utah desert, levels homes near Montezuma Creek; heavy rains trigger flash floods in Four Corners

A rare tornado tore through the desert near Montezuma Creek, Utah, on Saturday afternoon, destroying several homes and prompting residents to flee as authorities urged people to seek shelter.

The National Weather Service office in Pueblo, Colorado, issued a tornado warning at 12:46 p.m. MDT, stating "A tornado is on the ground. Take cover now!" The warning, which remained in effect until 1:15 p.m., warned that "flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely." Law enforcement reported seeing a dark, funnel-shaped cloud reach the ground near Montezuma Creek, roughly 345 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, and later confirmed that several homes were completely damaged.

Navajo Police said in a social media post that as of 4:31 p.m. several homes in the community had been "completely damaged" after the twister passed through. Officials reported no injuries, and they asked the public to stay off roads and away from affected areas while emergency assessments and recovery operations continued. The Utah Highway Patrol and the San Juan County Sheriff's Office were deployed to assist local responders.

The Utah Navajo Health System established an Incident Command Post, and local schools opened facilities to shelter displaced residents. Police shared photographs showing the tornado tracking across open desert terrain. Utah typically records only about three tornadoes per year, and the state's arid climate and rugged topography make sustained tornadic development uncommon, National Weather Service forecasters said. When tornadoes do occur in the Beehive State, they are usually small — often no more than 60 feet wide at the base, with path lengths typically less than a mile and life spans measured in seconds to minutes.

The same storm system brought heavy rainfall to the Four Corners region, where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet. The NWS issued multiple flash flood warnings and a flash flood emergency in parts of western Colorado after radar indicated up to three inches of rain fell near the Utah–Colorado border. Authorities in Mesa County, Colorado, reported flash flooding and conducted water rescues along State Highway 141.

As of Saturday evening, officials reported no injuries or missing persons connected to the flash flooding, but the full extent of flood damage remained unclear while crews assessed impacted areas. Emergency responders in the region continued to prioritize search and rescue, sheltering for displaced residents and road closures to protect the public from unstable conditions.

Meteorologists said the event underscored how localized severe weather episodes can occur even in regions where tornadoes are infrequent, and how concentrated heavy rainfall from the same system can produce dangerous flash flooding across state lines. Authorities urged residents in vulnerable areas to monitor local forecasts, heed warnings, and follow safety guidance from the National Weather Service and local emergency management agencies.