TL;DR

A landspout tornado touched down briefly in northeastern Colorado on Wednesday evening, July 8, 2026, approximately 6 miles south-southwest of New Raymer. The tornado remained on the ground for roughly one minute. The event was part of a widespread severe weather day that produced 126 wind reports, 21 hail reports, and 1 tornado report across 18 states.

What Happened in Colorado

At 2216 UTC (4:16 PM MDT) on Wednesday, a landspout tornado was confirmed on the ground in Weld County, Colorado, according to the National Weather Service office in Boulder. The tornado touched down approximately 6 miles south-southwest of New Raymer, a small community in the northeastern plains of Colorado.

Video footage captured the landspout, which remained on the ground for approximately one minute before dissipating. The National Weather Service estimated the tornado's location based on radar velocity data and the video evidence submitted by observers.

No damage reports, injuries, or fatalities have been associated with this tornado at the time of publication.

Understanding Landspout Tornadoes

Landspouts are a specific type of tornado that form differently than the classic supercell tornadoes often seen in the Great Plains. While supercell tornadoes develop from rotating mesocyclones within severe thunderstorms, landspouts form along boundaries or convergence zones where winds collide, stretching existing horizontal rotation vertically into a funnel.

Landspouts typically occur beneath developing cumulus or towering cumulus clouds and are generally weaker and shorter-lived than their supercell counterparts. They're more common in the high plains of Colorado and Wyoming during the summer months when strong heating and moisture convergence create favorable conditions.

The term "landspout" is analogous to "waterspout" — both describe tornadoes that form without a parent supercell thunderstorm. Despite their typically brief duration and lower intensity, landspouts are still classified as tornadoes and can cause localized damage.

Wednesday's Broader Severe Weather Picture

The Colorado landspout was just one event in a busy severe weather day across the central and eastern United States. According to preliminary storm reports compiled by the Storm Prediction Center, the 24-hour period ending Thursday morning produced:

  • 1 tornado report (Colorado)
  • 21 hail reports across 10 states
  • 126 wind reports across 17 states

States reporting severe weather included Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Significant Hail Events

The most significant hail report came from near Fullerton, Nebraska, where a storm spotter reported hail larger than golf balls — estimated at 2.00 inches in diameter — at 2334 UTC. The spotter noted that hail could have been even larger, though the predominant size was just above golf ball diameter.

Other notable hail reports included:

  • 1.50 inches near Broadus, Montana (2055 UTC)
  • 1.25 inches in Newcastle, Wyoming (2223 UTC)
  • 1.25 inches near Chugwater, Wyoming (2150 UTC)

Wind Damage Across the East

Wind reports dominated Wednesday's severe weather, with 126 separate reports spanning from Virginia through the Midwest and into the Rockies. The highest measured wind gust came from La Junta Airport in Colorado, where an ASOS station recorded a 78 mph gust at 2021 UTC.

Virginia and North Carolina accounted for a significant portion of the wind reports, with numerous trees downed across both states during the afternoon and evening hours. Most reports described trees blocking roadways or falling on power lines.

One notable wind damage report came from Southern Illinois Airport near De Soto, Illinois, where a 69 mph gust tilted over an unoccupied Cessna 177 aircraft at 2026 UTC.

The New Bern Airport in North Carolina measured a 70 mph gust at 2032 UTC, and strong winds in the Taberna neighborhood of James City blew porch furniture around and downed large limbs and at least one tree.

Thursday's Forecast Environment

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 1 Convective Outlook placed portions of the northern and central Plains, the lower Missouri Valley into the lower Ohio Valley, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic under a Slight Risk for severe thunderstorms.

According to the SPC, "Thunderstorms with severe wind gusts and hail will be possible this afternoon and evening across parts of the central and northern Plains. Severe wind gusts may also occur in parts of the Ozarks, mid Mississippi Valley, lower Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Arizona."

The outlook highlighted several regions:

Central High Plains into the Central Plains

A thermodynamic environment similar to Wednesday's setup is expected across the central Rockies, with scattered afternoon thunderstorm development anticipated. The SPC noted that "moderate westerly flow aloft will support organized storm structures into this more buoyant environment, with an attendant threat for strong to severe gusts with the stronger bowing segments."

Northern Plains

Strong heating of a moist airmass beneath steep mid-level lapse rates will support robust buoyancy Thursday afternoon, with mixed-layer CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) exceeding 2000 J/kg. The SPC indicated that "strong buoyancy combined with effective bulk shear around 30-35 kt should support a few supercells. Large to isolated very large hail and strong downdrafts are possible within the more organized storms."

Lower Missouri Valley into the Lower Ohio Valley

An MCS (mesoscale convective system) was tracking southeastward through central Missouri Thursday morning. The SPC forecast noted that while the system may weaken during the morning, "the moist airmass downstream will diurnally destabilize, likely resulting in a reintensification of the MCS and/or development of new storms along its leading edge."

Colorado's Summer Tornado Season

Wednesday's landspout near New Raymer continues a pattern of tornado activity across Colorado during the summer months. The state typically sees its peak tornado activity from May through August, with landspouts particularly common along the Front Range and across the eastern plains.

Colorado's geography creates unique conditions for landspout development. The high elevation, strong daytime heating, and moisture convergence along the Palmer Divide and other terrain features frequently generate the rotating updrafts that become landspouts.

While Colorado doesn't see the same frequency of violent tornadoes as states farther east in Tornado Alley, the state averages around 1 tornadoes per year, with most classified as EF0 or EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Staying Informed During Severe Weather

Wednesday's widespread severe weather serves as a reminder that summer severe weather can affect multiple regions simultaneously. While the Colorado tornado was brief and caused no reported damage, other communities dealt with damaging winds, large hail, and localized flooding.

The National Weather Service issues tornado warnings when a tornado is imminent or occurring. These warnings are disseminated through multiple channels, including NOAA Weather Radio, Wireless Emergency Alerts to mobile phones, and local media.

For those in areas prone to nighttime severe weather, having multiple ways to receive warnings is critical. Wireless Emergency Alerts for tornado warnings bypass Do Not Disturb mode on most phones by default, though third-party weather apps are silenced by Do Not Disturb.

VORTEX is a free web app at vortexintel.app that monitors severe weather nationwide. Pro ($4.99/month) places phone calls to your phone when a tornado or flash flood warning is issued for a location you care about — calls can ring through Do Not Disturb once you enable Emergency Bypass for the number, unlike most third-party app notifications.