<\/p>\n
Dolores schools reported that they went into lockdown after a funnel cloud was spotted Tuesday five miles northeast of Cortez about 2:50 p.m.<\/p>\n
The lockdown ended about 3:15 p.m., when the National Weather Service lifted the warning. The school reported that buses would run on their normal schedules.<\/p>\n
Weather spotter Jim Andrus called the twister in to the National Weather Service. He watched it for five minutes, and it didn\u2019t touch down.<\/p>\n
A tornado warning was issued for northeastern Montezuma County from 2:50 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Residents were advised to take cover, and the warning stated that a tornado may develop at any time. Cortez and Dolores were listed as towns at risk.<\/p>\n
Doppler radar showed a dangerous storm in the area moving northeast at 10 mph.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw a funnel cloud descend 500 feet below the base of the thunderstorm,\u201d Andrus said. \u201cBy the time I called it in, it had disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tornado was sharply defined, he said, and was confirmed by bits of clouds that could be seen rotating around it.<\/p>\n
He said the last reported funnel cloud in the region east of Cortez was 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
Wind shear occurring at different altitudes helps to create the twisting winds of tornados, Andrus said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one came and went was not a significant threat, but it\u2019s best to keep an eye out and report them right away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mesa Elementary School in Cortez also reportedly went into a tornado lockdown as a precaution. Students were ushered into the hallways.<\/p>\n
A National Weather Service tornado warning alerts the public to an existing tornado or one believed to be in existence. The service advises that in the event of a tornado, residents should take cover and move to a basement, an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows, and if you are in a mobile home or outdoors move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.<\/p>\n