Cloud rotation destroys acres of trees amid tornado warnings in Teller & El Paso Counties

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) – The Teller County Sheriffs Office worked for hours to clear off County Road 25 near Divide, after over a dozen acres of trees were flattened out by severe winds. The storm came as a tornado warning was issued for Woodland Park and El Paso County on Tuesday afternoon.

Weather officials put out the alert for the warning in Woodland Park on Tuesday afternoon until 1:15 p.m., while the same was active in El Paso County until around 1:30 p.m.

Several viewers sent videos to KRDO13, which appear to show cloud rotation in the area around the time of the alert. That video can be watched above. National weather officials are still determining whether a tornado actually touched down or not.

The Teller County Sheriff's Office worked until about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday to clear off a barrage of downed trees along County Road 25, just off of Highway 24 near Divide.

Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell told KRDO13 it was about 15 acres of land that was impacted by the intense winds in this storm. KRDO13 crews were on scene as soon as crews cleared out from the road, to see the destruction firsthand.

"Shocking  to say the least, for all of this. And I'm sure you've got this on camera or whatever, but  yeah, for no houses to be damaged. This is a it's, it's kind of unbelievable to me." said Eric Patton, who arrived back to the neighborhood around 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, to discover the damage.

"I mean, you just don't really think that it could happen, you know, and you don't really prepare for tornadoes out here." he later added.

Meanwhile in Woodland Park, and also areas within Divide, homeowners were hit with an onslaught of hail. One resident shared this photo of what is quarter-sized hail, and even larger pieces, outside of his home.

Hail was also seen in parts of Colorado Springs, where one viewer reported 3/4 quarter sized pieces, while chunks that filled the palm of one viewer, were sent to KRDO13 from Trinidad on Tuesday.

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