WYOMING – Is it global warming or something to do with climate change? Perhaps, but the fact remains tornado warnings in Wyoming are up. Way up.
According to the National Weather Service, Wyoming has experienced 51 tornado warnings so far this year. That’s nearly triple the usual for a season. From 2006-2017, the state received 19 warnings per year on average.
And the twisters that do materialize are more vicious.
In early June, a tornado spent eight minutes on the ground near Gillette, covering 2.7 miles. It destroyed seven houses, damaged seven more, and hospitalized two people.
Later that same month, another twister made landfall north of Laramie. It was the second EF3 in a week, causing an estimated $300,000 in damages. The Weather Channel referred to it as a “massive high-top twister.” Washington Post simply called it “Tornado of the Year.”
Photos and videos of the most powerful tornado to ever hit Albany County, Wyoming since records have been kept (1950) made national news.
Finally, July ended with another funnel in the Cowboy State—this one 11 miles south of Douglas.
by Buckrail (2018, August 3)
