Second ‘rare’ tornado in less than a month touches down in eastern Idaho
A rare weather event happened Friday in eastern Idaho, marking at least the second such occurrence in recent weeks.
Around 12:30 p.m., a tornado touched down on flat land between Soda Springs and Grace, two towns in eastern Idaho near the Wyoming and Utah borders.
The tornado was confirmed by the National Weather Service.
Viewer video of Friday's tornado west of Soda Springs. It's a good thing it touched down where it did instead of the middle of town. ️
️ Paul Lopez#tornado #eastidaho #Idaho #idwx pic.twitter.com/DZUZ9URbXH— Doug Iverson (@DougIWeatherGuy) June 24, 2023
Tornadoes consist of quickly rotating air in a narrow column, and often appear dramatic. They are usually caused by storms with rapidly increasing wind speeds or when storms change direction, meteorologist Greg Kaiser with the Weather Service’s Pocatello office told the Idaho Statesman.
Kaiser said that tornadoes are “rare” in Idaho.
In May, another tornado touched down southeast of Twin Falls.
Kaiser said he thinks tornadoes sometimes go unreported because they occur in unpopulated areas, and nobody sees them.
TWISTER TIME! This tornado was spotted in Caribou County around 12:30 pm Friday. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.
Shannon Jensen
Between Soda Spring & Fish Creek Summit.#Tornado #Idaho #eastidaho #idwx pic.twitter.com/Edu95vlEUi— Doug Iverson (@DougIWeatherGuy) June 23, 2023