Two tornadoes touched down on Saturday afternoon near Montezuma Creek, in a remote part of southeastern Utah, destroying at least three homes and causing significant disruption to the local Navajo Nation community. The Navajo Police Department and Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren confirmed the damage in statements, sharing images of the powerful funnels and the wreckage left behind.

While there were no reported human injuries, an unknown number of livestock and pets remain unaccounted for. Authorities are still working to assess the full impact of the storm, which struck around 12:35 p.m. on September 13, forming two tornadoes within the span of an hour.

Photos released by Navajo police showed dark funnels surrounded by heavy cloud cover sweeping across sparsely populated rangeland. Another image later revealed the total destruction of a residence-one of three confirmed destroyed by the storm.

According to meteorologist Kris Sanders with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, Colorado, tornadoes in this part of Utah are extremely rare. "We've only confirmed two tornadoes in this region since 1950," Sanders told the Associated Press, noting that Saturday's storm is highly unusual for the area.

The tornadoes reportedly traveled short distances-likely under 10 miles-but caused concentrated damage. The NWS plans to conduct a formal survey of the area to determine the tornadoes' intensity, track, and wind speeds.

The affected zone lies within the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the U.S., spanning more than 27,000 square miles across Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. In such vast and rugged terrain, response efforts can be complicated by long distances and limited infrastructure.

Authorities are urging residents in the area to report missing animals or property damage to local emergency services. In the meantime, recovery efforts are underway to support affected families and locate any remaining livestock or pets.