The National Weather Service has confirmed a third tornado touched down in northern Arizona during last week’s severe storms.
The agency confirmed the Wing Mountain tornado north of Bellemont on Thursday morning, adding to two EF-1 tornadoes confirmed over the weekend near Prescott and Heber-Overgaard.
The Wing Mountain tornado hit north of Bellemont around 5:41 a.m. on Oct. 21.
The National Weather Service says it reached estimated wind speeds of 110 miles per hour and traveled about 2.3 miles in six minutes. It uprooted and snapped trees before dissipating just west of Highway 180 around 5:47 a.m.
The preliminary damage survey rated it EF-1, the second-lowest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. EF-1 tornadoes have estimated winds of 86 to 110 miles per hour.
The Wing Mountain tornado was the first of three recorded in Arizona that day.
The Spruce Mountain tornado touched down in the Bradshaw Mountains about six miles south of Prescott later that morning. It reached estimated wind speeds of 105 miles per hour and traveled about eight miles north-northeast before dissipating near Walker Road. It snapped or uprooted ponderosa pine trees, but no injuries were reported.
The Heber-Overgaard tornado developed south of the community Wednesday evening. A preliminary damage survey released over the weekend found winds reached up to 110 miles per hour. It traveled about 9.25 miles in 11 minutes, crossing State Route 260 before dissipating near State Route 277. It damaged homes, trees and a commercial building and injured one person.
Meteorologists attribute the tornadoes to an unusually powerful storm system that brought large hail, damaging winds and flash flooding to northern and central Arizona.
Arizona’s last tornado watch was in 2010. That outbreak produced 11 confirmed tornadoes across northern Arizona, making it the state’s largest tornado outbreak and one of the costliest weather disasters on record.
