Dangerous Heat Wave Continues; Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain from the Central Plains to the Midwest

A prolonged, dangerous heat wave will continue today in the Midwest and Mississippi Valley, and persist through the Independence Day weekend across the Ohio Valley, Mid-South, and East Coast. Severe thunderstorm are expected from the northern/central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic. Isolated slash flooding is possible from the central Plains to the Upper Midwest. Read More >

Overview

On September 13th, 2025, a highly amplified trough would push across the four corners region in the early afternoon. This trough was producing supercells across Utah and western Colorado early in the day, some of which were tornadic, and as it traversed eastward, would continue to spawn supercell thunderstorms across central Colorado. One of these supercells would go on to intensify along the northern fringes of the La Garita Mountains. As this storm tracked into the WFO Pueblo County Warning Area, it quickly developed an intense mesocyclone thanks to the 50-60 knots of bulk shear in place, and as it passed over Sawtooth Mountain, would then go on to produce a brief tornado along the northern slopes of the mountain.

Tornado
Photos & Video
Radar
Environment

Tornadoes

Tornado - Sawtooth Mountain Tornado
Saguache County

Date	09/13/25
Time (Local)	1:07 - 1:12 PM
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	88 MPH
Path Length	0.85 Miles
Max Width	95 Yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A brief tornado developed along the northern slopes of Sawtooth Mountain during the early afternoon of September 13th, 2025. This tornado was at approximately 11,300ft in elevation. It quickly pushed eastward causing tree damage and then dissipated after about 5 minutes. Images from Saguache County Emergency Management and a damage scar recognized via satellite data, were used to perform the damage survey.

Track Map


Tree damage along the tornado track and from within the tornado scar.	Tree damage along the tornado track and from within the tornado scar.	Tree damage along the tornado track and from within the tornado scar.	Tree damage along the tornado track and from within the tornado scar.

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Photos & Video

Image of the tornado scar via Copernicus Satellite data

Radar


Loop of radar reflectivity and velocity of the Sawtooth Mountain Tornado.	Image of radar reflectivity and velocity of the Sawtooth Mountain Tornado.

Environment

Synoptic Environment:


Figure 1: 300mb pattern at 12 PM MDT September 13th.	Figure 2: 500mb pattern at 12 PM MDT September 13th.	Figure 3: 700mb pattern at 12 PM MDT September 13th.

Near-storm Environment:


Figure 4: Surface pattern at 12 PM MDT September 13th.	Figure 5: 0-6km Bulk Shear at 12 PM MDT September 13th.	Figure 6: Effective SRH at 12 PM MDT September 13th.


Figure 7: Mixed Layer CAPE at 12 PM MDT September 13th.	Figure 8: Supercell Composite (SCP) at 12 PM MDT September 13th.	Figure 9: Significant Tornado Parameter (STP) at 12 PM MDT September 13th.

Figure 10: RAP sounding of environment for the Sawtooth Mountain Tornado

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Dangerous Heat Wave Continues; Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain from the Central Plains to the Midwest

13 September 2025 Sawtooth Mountain Tornado