Third documented tornado confirmed in Teton County

JACKSON, Wyoming — The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Jackson, Wyoming, on Oct. 15.

According to a news release from Teton County, the NWS in Riverton confirmed a “severe wind event” in the Teton Canyon area of western Teton County, Wyoming, in early October was an EF-1 tornado. It’s only the third documented tornado in the county’s history and the latest-season tornado.

An EF-1 tornado is a moderate-strength tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale), used to assign a tornado a ‘rating’ based on estimated wind speeds and related damage, according to the NWS.

The tornado, which touched down around 1:35 p.m. and stayed on the ground for about two minutes, was reportedly capable of damaging small barns and farm outbuildings.

Its path was roughly one mile long and up to 125 yards wide, and its peak winds were estimated to be between 87 and 104 mph.

“Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped in a section of the Caribou–Targhee National Forest near Alta, Wyoming,” the release says. “The storm damage began around 7,900 feet in elevation and ended near 6,900 feet.”

The release states that Caribou–Targhee National Forest crews cleared fallen trees to reopen roads and trails in the area, helping motorists and hikers who were briefly trapped in Teton Canyon.

Drone images captured by the Teton County Sheriff’s Office and satellite comparisons from before and after the storm helped to confirm the tornado’s track and intensity.

The NWS used the Enhanced Fujita Scale’s “softwood tree” damage indicator to classify the event as an EF-1 tornado.

“The confirmation was made possible through coordination among the National Weather Service, Teton County, Wyoming Emergency Management, the Teton County, Wyoming Sheriff’s Office, and Caribou–Targhee National Forest,” the release says.

This is only the third recorded tornado in Teton County since weather records began:

• July 21, 1987 – Teton–Yellowstone Tornado (F4): Among the highest-elevation tornadoes ever recorded in the United States, this F4 storm remains the strongest in Wyoming history. It tracked across the Teton Wilderness and Yellowstone National Park, damaging thousands of acres of forest with estimated peak winds between 207 and 260 mph.
• June 12, 2022 – Gros Ventre Range Tornado (EF-2): A high-elevation tornado near Crystal Creek Campground northeast of Jackson with peak winds near 130 mph. It traveled about two miles through remote mountain terrain. Following the June 12 storm, the Bridger–Teton National Forest temporarily closed Crystal Creek Campground due to downed trees and hazard conditions.
• Oct. 15, 2025 – Teton Canyon Tornado (EF-1): The most recent event occurred in the Caribou–Targhee National Forest near Alta, producing winds up to 104 mph. This is the latest tornado for the season ever reported in Wyoming going back to 1950 when records started. Before this, the 10/7/1969 Goshen County tornado was the latest tornado of the season.

According to Teton County, tornadoes remain extremely rare in the area, and three documented events are not enough to indicate any measurable trend.

“Studying each occurrence helps improve local hazard mitigation, debris management, and emergency planning,” the release says. “The collaborative effort between federal and county agencies continues to strengthen understanding of how high-elevation wind events behave in mountain terrain. To learn more about hazards and preparedness in Teton County, visit www.tetoncountywy.gov/em.

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