Homes destroyed as multiple tornadoes touch down in San Juan County
Courtesy | Navajo Police Department
A tornado touches down near Montezuma Creek, Utah, on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 13, 2025. Several homes were destroyed, but no injuries were reported.
PAGE-LAKE POWELL, Ariz.
A tornado tore through the Montezuma Creek, Utah, community Saturday afternoon, destroying several homes and prompting emergency agencies to open a local school as a shelter. Authorities confirmed there were no reported injuries.
The Navajo Police Department reported that as of 4:31 p.m., three homes were “completely damaged” after the tornado moved across the community. Families displaced by the storm were directed to Montezuma Creek Elementary School, where the American Red Cross and local agencies are coordinating recovery efforts.
Carma Claw, the president of the Aneth Chapter, said the storm swept in quickly after early warnings from the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, Colorado. Response teams mobilized immediately. “Primarily first and foremost, there are no injuries reported and there were several structures, homes that were completely destroyed,” she said Saturday night.
Residents were shaken by what they witnessed. Community members expressed gratitude for being kept informed throughout the storm response, but many also described feelings of shock and disbelief as the tornado swept across the area. Because the storm unfolded in broad daylight, the funnel was visible for miles, leaving residents unsettled. For many, it was the first time they had ever witnessed such an event in their community.
The police is working with the Aneth Chapter House, San Juan County Emergency Medical Services, the Utah Navajo Health System and the Montezuma Creek Elementary School to assist residents. Officials urged community members to stay out of the damaged areas while assessments continue. A reassessment of the area is scheduled for this evening.
“Our prayers go out to the families that lost their home and to those impacted,” the Navajo Police Department stated.
“The first responders showed up and they checked on all the families out there,” said Delegate Curtis Yanito, a Bluff, Utah, resident. “Tomorrow, (more) results will come in. It’s been storming all evening, but it’s calm now.”
Separately, a second tornado was confirmed in the Cahone Mesa area southeast of Blanding, Utah. That twister destroyed two homes, one fifth-wheel trailer, two horse trailers and a hay barn, according to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Two additional homes sustained significant damage. No injuries were reported there either.
“There were several touchdowns,” Claw said. “I think there was a count of four, possibly five across––starting from McCracken Mesa, which is north of Montezuma Creek.
“And then it moved across to … where the Elk Petroleum gas plant is, just north of there. And then further across to Cahone Mesa,” she explained. “So it was just a series of touchdowns over, I don’t know, quite a bit of time until it started to move out of the area and then it moved into Colorado.”
Tornadoes are unusual in Utah, where only a few touch down each year. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office reported that power poles were knocked down, leaving some residents without electricity.
Claw said she could not recall a comparable weather event in her community. “I don’t ever remember, especially with a multi–funnel touching ground. That for sure has never happened,” she said.
Claw and Yanito noted that at least two other tornadoes touched down in the region as well. “I’ve never seen that many tornados all at the same time like this,” Yanito said Saturday night. “The weather’s really changed. But I’m glad the first responders did a quick response. I just want to thank them for their work in this community.”
Authorities continue to monitor conditions and urged residents to remain alert to further weather warnings.
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